Creating the Constitution, Part Two: The World’s Oldest, and Shortest, Written Constitution

American Revolution
Written By Tom Hand

We would not have the America we know and love were it not for the 4,400 words that make up our Constitution. The document is made up of seven sections called articles and consists of two basic parts. Brilliant in its simplicity!

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the structure and guiding principles of the Constitution, and why it still matters today.


Images Courtesy of: National Archives, Library of Congress, Yale University Art Gallery The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Wikipedia

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The opening phrase of the preamble, “We the People,” spoke volumes regarding upon whose authority the Constitution rested and suggested the unanimity of country and purpose that this new Constitution would create. It was written by Gouverneur Morris, a delegate from New York, and his eloquent words speak for themselves. 

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The Slavery Question at the Constitutional Convention
Constitution, Constitutional Convention, Slavery
The Slavery Question at the Constitutional Convention
Constitution, Constitutional Convention, Slavery

When delegates met at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, one of the most troublesome questions was what to do about slavery. Not whether it should be abolished, because even the most vehement abolitionist recognized this was neither the time nor the place for that fight. The issues to be decided were how would slaves be counted in the census and whether the states or the central government would control the institution, and what that control would look like. 

Constitution, Constitutional Convention, Slavery
Key Debates at the Constitutional Convention
George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Constitution, Constitutional Convention
Key Debates at the Constitutional Convention
George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Constitution, Constitutional Convention

On May 29, 1787, Edmund Randolph, Governor of Virginia, rose and introduced fifteen resolutions to the Federal Convention. Known to history as the Virginia Resolves or the Virginia Plan, Randolph’s proposal, which was probably drafted by James Madison, was an outline for an entirely new national government. It called for a national executive, a two-house national legislature, and a national judiciary.

George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Constitution, Constitutional Convention
The Federal Convention Opens
George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Constitution, Constitutional Convention
The Federal Convention Opens
George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Constitution, Constitutional Convention

In the years immediately following the successful conclusion of its war for independence, the United States struggled to survive under the Articles of Confederation. The nation’s leaders knew something had to be done to fix its many issues for this great experiment in democracy to continue.

George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Constitution, Constitutional Convention
A Desperate Winter at Valley Forge
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben
A Desperate Winter at Valley Forge
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben

In December 1777, following the loss of Philadelphia, our nation’s capital, General George Washington moved his Continental Army to Valley Forge for the winter. It would prove to be a desperately hard winter for the soldiers, with conditions that might have broken the spirit of less determined men, but one from which the American army emerged a more professional fighting force.

George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben
The British Capture Philadelphia
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Philadelphia Campaign
The British Capture Philadelphia
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Philadelphia Campaign

Our nation’s capital has twice been captured by a foreign army and in both cases, it was by British Redcoats. The more famous incident was the burning of Washington on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812. However, the first occurred 37 years before that event, in 1777, when the British captured Philadelphia, the capital of newly independent United States.

George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Philadelphia Campaign
Continental Army Victorious at Princeton
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Battle of Princeton
Continental Army Victorious at Princeton
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Battle of Princeton

General George Washington and his Continentals had achieved a great victory at Trenton on December 26, but the General saw another opportunity if he acted aggressively. On December 30, he recrossed the Delaware hoping for another miracle.

George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army, Battle of Princeton
Washington Takes Command of the Continental Army
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army
Washington Takes Command of the Continental Army
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army

When it came to finding the right man to command the new Continental Army assembled around Boston, George Washington was the logical choice. John Adams quickly nominated Washington and Congress unanimously approved. As Adams stated, “This appointment will have a great effect in cementing and securing the Union of these colonies.”

George Washington, Founding Fathers, Continental Army
George Washington Enters Politics
George Washington, Founding Fathers, House of Burgesses, First Continental Congress, George Mason
George Washington Enters Politics
George Washington, Founding Fathers, House of Burgesses, First Continental Congress, George Mason

As befitting a wealthy landowner in colonial Virginia, George Washington became active in the colony’s politics in the 1750s. He first ran for a seat representing Frederick County in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1755 but lost the election. Interestingly, it was the only political race he would ever lose. Washington ran for that same seat in 1758 and was victorious, and he held this seat for seven years.

George Washington, Founding Fathers, House of Burgesses, First Continental Congress, George Mason
George Washington’s Life at Mount Vernon
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon
George Washington’s Life at Mount Vernon
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon

When George Washington resigned as Colonel and Commander of the Virginia Regiment in 1758, he returned to Mount Vernon to begin his life as a gentleman planter. Although in less than twenty years Washington would be called away by his country, his time between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution was a significant portion of this great man’s life.

George Washington, Founding Fathers, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon
The Start of George Washington’s Illustrious Military Career
George Washington, Founding Fathers
The Start of George Washington’s Illustrious Military Career
George Washington, Founding Fathers

With the demise of Lawrence Washington in 1752, George Washington inherited much of his stepbrother’s property, becoming a significant landowner at the age of 20. Lawrence’s passing also opened up an Adjutant’s position in the Virginia militia that George coveted given his love of military history and desire to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

George Washington, Founding Fathers
The Early Life of George Washington
George Washington, Founding Fathers
The Early Life of George Washington
George Washington, Founding Fathers

George Washington is more responsible for the creation of America than anyone else in our country’s incredible history. He was the right man with the right set of characteristics and talents at just the right time. It is hard to imagine the United States could have happened without his presence.

George Washington, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin’s Sage Advice Influences Constitutional Convention
Benjamin Franklin, Constitution
Ben Franklin’s Sage Advice Influences Constitutional Convention
Benjamin Franklin, Constitution

In 1785, Franklin, his work done in France, was recalled to America by Congress. He arrived in Philadelphia that September, revered as one of our nation’s greatest patriots. Despite his need for a well-deserved rest, he was kept continually busy receiving dignitaries, wrapping up loose ends from his eight-year diplomatic mission, and with what would prove to be one final opportunity to help his country.

Benjamin Franklin, Constitution
Ben Franklin, America’s First Man of Science
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin, America’s First Man of Science
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers

Benjamin Franklin was one of the world’s foremost inventors and scientists in the 1700s. His creative genius and inventiveness led to many significant discoveries that made living life easier for all. Moreover, he was proof positive that brilliant minds existed in British America, despite its backwoods reputation in Europe.

Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin Improves Life for His Fellow Citizens
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin Improves Life for His Fellow Citizens
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers

Benjamin Franklin made his money in the printing business, but his true calling was as a man devoted to understanding and improving all aspects of life. Franklin’s interests and innovations stretched from the areas of civics to morals to science to home improvements. His efforts left the world a better place.

Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin’s Writing Enlightens and Entertains America
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin’s Writing Enlightens and Entertains America
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers

Benjamin Franklin was the leading printer in British America, but he was also one of the most successful authors of his time. Over the course of Franklin’s impressive life, he wrote two of the greatest treasures of American literature, Poor Richard’s Almanack and his Memoirs, also called The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin, British America’s Most Successful Printer
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin, British America’s Most Successful Printer
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers

Benjamin Franklin was the most successful printer in British America, owning or controlling most of the newspapers in the colonies by 1753. He got his first taste of the printing business in 1718 at the age of twelve while working at The New England Courant in Boston, a newspaper owned by his older brother James.

Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin: An Extraordinary Man from Humble Beginnings
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
Ben Franklin: An Extraordinary Man from Humble Beginnings
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most gifted and intriguing men in American history. His incredible rise from humble beginnings to one of the most famous men in the world is an inspirational story. It all began in Boston on January 17, 1706, when Franklin was born to Josiah and Abiah Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin, Founding Fathers
John Adams Negotiates Peace with England
Founding Fathers, John Adams, John Jay, Treaty of Paris
John Adams Negotiates Peace with England
Founding Fathers, John Adams, John Jay, Treaty of Paris

John Adams was solely responsible for opening a strong relationship with the Netherlands between 1780-1782. Within days of completing his work in Amsterdam, Adams received a summons from John Jay, another American diplomat in Paris, to immediately return to the French capital. Peace talks with the English were heating up and Jay wanted Adams’ assistance.

Founding Fathers, John Adams, John Jay, Treaty of Paris
John Adams, A Diplomat in Europe
Founding Fathers, John Adams
John Adams, A Diplomat in Europe
Founding Fathers, John Adams

John Adams retired from the Second Continental Congress in early November 1777 and returned home to Braintree. He hoped to revive his law practice and enjoy some quiet time with Abigail and the rest of the family. However, his stay was short-lived as America had another task in mind for this tireless patriot, this time as an ambassador in Europe.

Founding Fathers, John Adams
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense Inspires a Nation
Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense Inspires a Nation
Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, Common Sense

The literary work most often credited with inspiring the American Revolution was a 47-page pamphlet called Common Sense. Published on January 10, 1776, and written by Thomas Paine, a recent immigrant from England, it caused everyday Americans to begin seriously thinking about an independent United States.

Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Thomas Paine, An American Revolutionary
Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine, An American Revolutionary
Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine

The most influential book of the Revolutionary Era was Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine. Published on January 10, 1776, it has been credited with turning public opinion away from seeking a reconciliation with England to a complete separation with our Mother Country.

Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine
John Adams Dominates Second Continental Congress
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers, Second Continental Congress, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson
John Adams Dominates Second Continental Congress
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers, Second Continental Congress, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson

John Adams dominated the Second Continental Congress like no other man and was tireless in his efforts to move the assembly towards independence. He sat on ninety committees and chaired twenty-five of them. No other delegate matched his workload.

John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers, Second Continental Congress, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson
The Second Continental Congress Convenes
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers, Second Continental Congress, George Washington, John Dickinson
The Second Continental Congress Convenes
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers, Second Continental Congress, George Washington, John Dickinson

The Second Continental Congress convened in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, soon after “the shot heard round the world” was fired at the battles of Lexington and Concord. None of the delegates knew it at the time, but John Adams was to dominate the proceedings for much of the next two years.

John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers, Second Continental Congress, George Washington, John Dickinson
John Adams Joins the Fight for Independence
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers
John Adams Joins the Fight for Independence
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers

After the tragedy of the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, British troops were removed from the city of Boston and tempers cooled a bit in Massachusetts. However, Parliament soon got things heated up again when it passed the Tea Act in the spring of 1773.

John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers
John Adams, Boston’s Top Attorney
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers
John Adams, Boston’s Top Attorney
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers

When the French and Indian War ended in 1763, John Adams was single, living on a small farm in Braintree, Massachusetts, and enjoying a flourishing law practice just up the road in Boston. The next year his marital status changed, most would say improved, when he married Abigail Smith. A profitable business and a quiet family life seemed to be in his future, but that soon changed.

John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers
John Adams Comes of Age
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers
John Adams Comes of Age
John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers

John Adams was one of America’s greatest Patriots. Besides George Washington, Adams may have contributed more to get America its independence from England than anyone else. However, this Founding Father is not nearly as revered or well-known as the other “Big Six” of the Founding Fathers.

John Adams, Presidents, Founding Fathers
Forefathers Gather at Historic First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress, George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, American Revolution, Founding Fathers
Forefathers Gather at Historic First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress, George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, American Revolution, Founding Fathers

The First Continental Congress was a key link in the chain of events that led to our nation gaining its independence from England. This brief convention brought together most of the influential leaders from colonial America to determine an answer to Parliament’s recently enacted Coercive Acts.

First Continental Congress, George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, American Revolution, Founding Fathers
Aftermath of the Boston Massacre
American Revolution, Boston Massacre, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Founding Fathers
Aftermath of the Boston Massacre
American Revolution, Boston Massacre, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Founding Fathers

The violence on the evening of March 5, 1770, in Boston is known to us today as the Boston Massacre. It was an unfortunate incident that left five people dead and growing anger between American colonists and leaders in England.

American Revolution, Boston Massacre, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Founding Fathers
George Washington Discourages Debt and Foreign Entanglements
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Farewell Address
George Washington Discourages Debt and Foreign Entanglements
George Washington, Founding Fathers, Farewell Address

In his Farewell Address, President Washington shared his thoughts on several topics, including our national debt and the need for our country to remain fiscally prudent.

George Washington, Founding Fathers, Farewell Address
Tom Hand
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Creating the Constitution, Part One: Enabling the Government to Control the Governed