to the Secretary of the United States in Congress assembled; that the Senators and Representatives should convene at the time and place assigned; that the Senators should appoint a president of the Senate, for the sole purpose of receiving, opening, and counting the votes for President; and that, after he shall be chosen, the Congress, together with the President, should without delay, proceed to execute this Constitution. By the unanimous order of the convention.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, President.

WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary.

IN CONVENTION, SEPTEMBER 17, 1787.

SIR: We have now the honor to submit to the consideration of the United States in Congress assembled, that Constitution which has appeared to us the most advisable.

The friends of our country have long seen and desired that the power of making war, peace, and treaties, that of levying money and regulating commerce, and the correspondent executive and judicial authorities, should be fully and effectually vested in the General Government of the Union; but the impropriety of delegating such extensive trust to one body of men is evident: hence results the necessity of a different organization.

It is obviously impracticable, in the Federal Government of these States, to secure all rights of independent sovereignty to each, and yet provide for the interest and safety of all. Individuals entering into society must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest. The magnitude of the sacrifice must depend as well on situation and circumstance as on the object to be obtained. It is at all times difficult to draw with precision the line between those rights which must be surrendered and those which may be reserved; and on the present occasion this difficulty was increased by a difference among the several States as to their situation, extent, habits, and particular interests.

In all our deliberations on this subject, we kept steadily in our view that which appears to us the greatest interest of every true Americanthe consolidation of our Union-in which is involved our prosperity, felicity, safety, perhaps our national existence. This important consideration, seriously and deeply impressed on our minds, led each State in the convention to be less rigid on points of inferior magnitude than might have been otherwise expected; and thus the Constitution which we now present is the result of a spirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and concession which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable.

That it will meet the full and entire approbation of every State, is not, perhaps, to be expected; but each will doubtless consider that, had her interest been alone consulted, the consequences might have been particularly disagreeable or injurious to others; that it is liable to as few exceptions as could reasonably have been expected, we hope and be lieve; that it may promote the lasting welfare of that country so dear to us all, and secure her freedom and happiness, is our most ardent wish. With great respect, we have the honor to be, sir, your excellency's most obedient humble servants.

By unanimous order of the convention.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, President.

His excellency the PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

17. Whereupon Congress passed the following resolution:

UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1787.

Present: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and from Maryland Mr. Ross.

Congress having received the report of the convention lately assembled in Philadelphia

Resolved, unanimously, That the said report, with the resolutions and letter accompanying the same, 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 made and provided in that case.

18. The States having accordingly passed acts for severally calling conventions, and the Constitution having been submitted to them, was ratified by the conventions of the several States, at the dates respectively as stated on page 24 of this compilation.

THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1788.

Congress assembled. Present: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Con necticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia; and from Rhode Island Mr. Arnold, and from Delaware Mr. Kearny.

On the question to agree to the proposition which was yesterday postponed by the State of Delaware, the yeas and nays being required by

So it was resolved in the affirmative, as follows: Whereas the convention assembled in Philadelphia, pursuant to the resolution of Congress of the 21st of February, 1787, did, on the 17th of September in the same year, report to the United States in Congress assembled a Constitution for the people of the United States; whereupon Congress, on the 28th of the same September, did resolve, unanimously, "That the said report, with the resolutions and letter accompanying the same, 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 made and provided in that case: And whereas the Constitution so reported by the convention, and by Congress transmitted to the several legislatures, has been ratified in the manner therein declared to be sufficient for the establishment of the same, and such ratifications, duly authenticated, have been received by Congress, and are filed in the office of the Secretary; therefore

Iesolved, That the first Wednesday in January next be the day for appointing electors in the several States, which, before the said day, shall have ratified the said Constitution; that the first Wednesday in

February next be the day for the electors to assemble in their respective States, and vote for a President; and that the first Wednesday in March next be the time, and the present seat of Congress (New York) the place, for commencing the proceedings under the said Constitution.

19. The elections were held in the several states for Electors, in conformity with the above resolution, and the Electors so appointed met as therein required, and voted for President and Vice President, (the result of whose votes will be seen in the first table of electoral votes contained in this volume,) and the several states having, in conformity with the Constitution, elected the Senators and Representatives to which they were respectively entitled, proceedings commenced under the Constitution on the first Wednesday, being the 4th day of March, 1789, by the meeting of the Senators and Representatives in Congress on that day, from the eleven states which had then ratified the Constitution; but a quorum not appearing in either House, the House of Representatives adjourned from day to day until Wednesday, the 1st of April, when a quorum, consisting of a majority of the whole number, appearing, they elected a speaker and clerk and proceeded to business; the Senate in like manner adjourned from day to day, until Monday, the 6th of April, when a quorum, consisting of a majority of the whole number of Senators, appearing, "the Senate proceeded, by ballot, to the choice of a President, for the sole purpose of opening and counting the votes for President of the United States." The Electoral votes were accordingly opened and counted on the 6th of April, 1789, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, and it appeared that George Washington was unanimously elected President, and that John Adams was duly elected Vice President of the United States, agreeably to the Constitution. The Senate then elected a President pro tempore, the Vice President not being present, and also a secretary, and proceeded to business; and having taken the proper measures to notify the individuals elected, John Adams, Vice President, appeared and assumed the chair as President of the Senate on Tuesday the 21st of April. George Washington was introduced into the Senate Chamber, by the committee appointed for the purpose, on Thursday, April 30,

1789, and was attended to the gallery in front of the Senate Chamber by the Vice President and Senators, the Speaker and Representatives and other public characters present. The oath required by the Constitution was then administered to him by the Chancellor of the State of New York, who proclaimed, "Long live George Washington, President of the United States," after which the President returned to the Senate Chamber and delivered his inaugural address to the Senate and House of Representatives.

Thus commenced the proceedings of the Constitutional Government of the United States of America. The Executive and Legislative branches so installed, possessed from that time, under the Constitution, the power to make laws and appoint all the officers necessary to constitute the Judiciary Branch, as well as all the Ex ecutive Departments and subordinate offices, both civil and military; all of which was effected in a convenient and proper time, and the whole system, then for the first time put in motion, has continued to operate, improve, and mature, until it has acquired a capacity, stability, and power adequate to its own security and preservation, and to the protection of the rights, the honor, and interest of its citizens over the entire surface of the globe, as well as to the preservation of the lives, the liberty, and happiness of its people at home; illustrating all the attributes of a good government, and proving incontestably the value and excellence of our own Constitution.