CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES-1787.* WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION for the United States of America. Chisholm v. Georgia, 2 Dall., 419; McCulloch v. State of Maryland et al., 4 Wh., 316; Brown et als. v. Maryland, 12 Wh., 419; Barron v. The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, 7 Pet., 243; Dred Scott v. Sandford, 19 Howard, 393; Lane County v. Oregon, 7 Wall., 71; Texas v. White et al., 7 Wall., 700; Claflin v. Houseman, assignee, 93 U. S., 130; Williams e. Bruffy, 96 U. S., 176; Tennessee v. Davis, 100 Ú. S., 257; Langford v. United States, 101 U. S., 341; United States v. Jones, 109 U. S., 513; Fort Leavenworth Railroad Co. v. Lowe, 114 U. S., 525; The Chinese Exclusion Case, 130 U. S., 581; Geofroy v. Riggs, 133 U. S., 258; In re Neagle 135 Ú. S., 1; In re Ross, 140 U. S., 453; Logan v. United States, 144 U. S., 263; Lascelles v. Georgia, 148 U. S., 537; Fong Yue Ting v. United States, 149 U. S., 698; In re Tyler, 149 U. S., 164; United States v. E. C. Knight Co., 156 U. S., 1; Mattox v. United States, 156 U. S., 237; In re Quarles and Butler, 158 U. S., 532; In re Debs, Petitioner, 158 U. S., 564; Ward v. Race Horse, 163 U. S., 504; De Lima . Bidwell, 182 U. S., 1; Prout e. Starr, 188 U. S., 537. *In May, 1785, a committee of Congress made a report recommending an alteration in the Articles of Confederation, but no action was taken on it, and it was left to the State Legislature to proceed in the matter. In January, 1786, the Legislature of Virginia passed a resolution providing for the appointment of five commissioners, who, or any three of them, should meet such commissioners as might be appointed in the other States of the Union, at a time and place to be agreed upon, to take into consideration the trade of the United States; to consider how far a uniform system in their commercial regulations may be necessary to their common interest and their permanent harmony; and to report to the several States such an act, relative to this great object, as, when ratified by them, will enable the United States in Congress effectually to provide for the same. The Vir ginia commissioners, after some correspondence, fixed the first Monday in H. Doc. 87, 59-1-1 1 Verein granted shall be 4: Field r. Clark, 143 U. S., ctatives shall be com nd Year by the People - each State shall have of the most numerous S.; Wiley v. Sinkler, 179 1. the place for the meet- a". a representation, the com- at it might essentially States by which they were eir endeavors to procure tment of commissioners May following, to take United States; to devise such further sary to render the Constitution the exigencies of the Union; and the United States in Congress aps afterwards confirmed by the dually provided for the same. Shopted a resolution in favor of the States which had not already a) promptly appointed delegates. ng convened, George Washington, of Plent, and the consideration of the On the 17th of September, 1787, gal upon was signed by all the memchusetts, and Messrs. Mason and of the convention transmitted it to the proposed Federal Government anatory letter. Congress, on the I No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty-five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. 3* [Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.] The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be 28th of September, 1787, directed the Constitution so framed, with the resolutions and letter concerning the same, to "be transmitted to the several Legislatures in order to be submitted to a convention of delegates chosen in each State by the people thereof, in conformity to the resolves of the convention." On the 4th of March, 1789, the day which had been fixed for commencing the operations of Government under the new Constitution, it had been ratified by the conventions chosen in each State to consider it, as follows: Delaware, December 7, 1787; Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787; New Jersey, December 18, 1787; Georgia, January 2, 1788; Connecticut, January 9, 1788; Massachusetts, February 6, 1788; Maryland, April 28, 1788; South Carolina, May 23, 1788; New Hampshire, June 21, 1788; Virginia, June 26, 1788; and New York, July 26, 1788. The President informed Congress, on the 28th of January, 1790, that North Carolina had ratified the Constitution November 21, 1789; and he informed Congress on the 1st of June, 1790, that Rhode Island had ratified the Constitution May 29, 1789. Vermont, in convention, ratified the Constitution January 10, 1791, and was, by an act of Congress approved February 18, 1791, "received and admitted into this Union as a new and entire member of the United States." *The clause included in brackets is amended, in respect to apportionment of Representatives, by the 14th amendment, 2d section, p. 45. CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES-1787.* WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION for the United States of America. Chisholm . Georgia, 2 Dall., 419; McCulloch v. State of Maryland et al., 4 Wh., 316; Brown et als. v. Maryland, 12 Wh., 419; Barron v. The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, 7 Pet., 243; Dred Scott v. Sandford, 19 Howard, 393; Lane County v. Oregon, 7 Wall., 71; Texas v. White et al., 7 Wall., 700; Claflin v. Houseman, assignee, 93 U. S., 130; Williams. Bruffy, 96 U. S., 176; Tennessee v. Davis, 100 U. S., 257; Langford v. United States, 101 U. S., 341; United States v. Jones, 109 U. S., 513; Fort Leavenworth Railroad Co. v. Lowe, 114 U. S., 525; The Chinese Exclusion Case, 130 U. S., 581; Geofroy v. Riggs, 133 U. S., 258; In re Neagle 135 U. S., 1; In re Ross, 140 U. S., 453; Logan v. United States, 144 U. S., 263; Lascelles v. Georgia, 148 U. S., 537; Fong Yue Ting v. United States, 149 U. S., 698; In re Tyler, 149 U. S., 164; United States v. E. C. Knight Co., 156 U. S., 1; Mattox v. United States, 156 U. S., 237; In re Quarles and Butler, 158 U. S., 532; In re Debs, Petitioner, 158 U. S., 564; Ward v. Race Horse, 163 U. S., 504; De Lima v. Bidwell, 182 U. S., 1; Prout e. Starr, 188 U. S., 537. * In May, 1785, a committee of Congress made a report recommending an alteration in the Articles of Confederation, but no action was taken on it, and it was left to the State Legislature to proceed in the matter. In January, 1786, the Legislature of Virginia passed a resolution providing for the appointment of five commissioners, who, or any three of them, should meet such commissioners as might be appointed in the other States of the Union, at a time and place to be agreed upon, to take into consideration the trade of the United States; to consider how far a uniform system in their commercial regulations may be necessary to their common interest and their permanent harmony; and to report to the several States such an act, relative to this great object, as, when ratified by them, will enable the United States in Congress effectually to provide for the same. The Vir ginia commissioners, after some correspondence, fixed the first Monday in H. Doc. 87, 59—1——1 1 |