There in Independence Hall in Philadelphia were Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, James Madison and Edmund Randolph, Alexander Hamilton and Gouverneur Morris. Almost all the prominent men of the time took part.(45)
They took the best that they knew of the experience of the human race in government, especially the experience of England and America, and from this they drew up the Constitution of the United States, the foundation of the government under which we live.(46)
When they had finished their work--that part of the Constitution which precedes the amendments--they submitted it to the States. They were very careful to see to it that the people themselves should approve of this. So instead of having the usual legislature of each State vote upon it, they provided that the people of each State should elect delegates for a special convention, the sole purpose of which was to decide whether or not they would like to live under a government like this.(47) These conventions, elected by the people for this special purpose, met and one after another, often after a bitter struggle, ratified the Constitution. The chief objection was that the rights of all Americans were not clearly stated.
So at the first meeting of Congress, the first ten amendments--our American Bill of Rights--were adopted and in 1791 they were ratified by the States. Since then the Constitution has been rarely amended. In 1798 and in 1804 the eleventh and twelfth amendments regarding the courts and the election of the President were adopted. After the Civil War three amendments were adopted regarding the problem of the negro citizen. Since then we have added changes regarding the income tax, the election of United States Senators, and prohibition. The last amendment, dealing with the extension of the vote to women, was ratified by Tennessee as the thirty-sixth State on August 18, 1920.
To-day then, our government is founded upon the Constitution made shortly after the Revolutionary War. It represents the aims and ambitions of the fathers of our country. They came to this land to be free. They suffered persecution. They threw off the yoke of the oppressor. They established a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The people selected the men who drew it up. They selected the men who amended it. Our task is to understand what it means, to obey it, and protect it.