in their ballots the person voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as vice-president, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as president, and of all persons voted for as vice-president and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the president of the senate ;*—the president of the senate shall, in the presence of the senate and house of representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted ;— the person having the greatest number of votes for president, shall be the president, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as president, the house of representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the president. But in choosing the president, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the house of representatives shall not choose a president whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the vicepresident shall act as president, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the president. The persons having the greatest number of votes as vice-president, shall be the vice-president, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the senate shall choose the vice-president; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two thirds of the whole number of senators, and a majority of the

* See laws of the United States, vol. ii., chap. 109, sect. 5.

whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice-president of the United States.

NOTE. Another amendment was proposed as article xiii., at the second session of the eleventh Congress, but not having been ratified by a sufficient number of states, has not yet become valid as a part of the constitution of the United States. It is erroneously given as a part of the constitution, in page 74, vol, i., laws of the United States.

I have examined and compared the foregoing print of the constitution of the United States, and the amendments thereto, with the rolls in this office, and find it a faithful and literal copy of the said constitution and amendments, in the text and punctuation thereof. It appears that the first ten amendments, which were proposed at the first session of the first Congress of the United States,, were finally ratified by the constitutional number of states, on the 15th day of December, 1791; that the eleventh amendment, which was proposed at the first session of the third Congress, was declared, in a message from the president of the United States to both houses of Congress, dated 8th January, 1798, to have been adopted by three fourths, the constitutional number of states; and that the twelfth amendment, which was proposed at the first session of the eighth Congress, was adopted by three fourths, the constitutional number of states, in the year one thousand eight hundred and four, according to a public notice thereof, by the secretary of state, under date the 25th of September, of the same year.

DANIEL BRENT, Chief Clerk. Department of State, Washington, 25th Feb., 1828.

As soon as the Constitution was presented to Congress, that body adopted a resolution, by which it was recommended to the several states, to call conventions within their respective jurisdictions to consider it, and adopt or reject it. It was agreed that when nine of the thirteen states should ratify it, it should become the fundamental law of the land.

In every state in the Union, there was a strong party opposed to the constitution, and frequently the leaders in the opposition were men whose patriotism was beyond reproach. Among these was Patrick Henry, of Virginia, who opposed its ratification by the Assembly of his state, with all his gigantic powers. The annulling, to a great

extent, of State Rights, and basing the sovereignty too absolutely upon the popular will, were the chief objec tions to the instrument; for the experience of all former ages had shown, that of all human governments, democracy was the most unstable, fluctuating, and short-lived. Despotism, arising from a centralization of power in the general government, on one hand, and anarchy incident to the instability of democracy, on the other, were the Scylla and Charybdis, between which the republic would, in the opinion of these opponents, be placed, with almost a certainty of destruction. Long and stormy sessions were therefore had in the several state conventions, and in most of them, the majorities in favor of the constitution were small.* It was not until the twenty first of June, 1788, that New Hampshire, the ninth state, ratified it, and it became the law of the land. Rhode Island did not give its sanction until the twenty ninth of May, 1790.

The friends of the new Constitution greatly rejoiced when its ratification was secured by a majority of the states; and it was gratifying to see many of the patriotic leaders of the opposition, submit cheerfully to the will of the majority, and lend their aid in carrying its provisions into operation. Steps were immediately taken to organize the government under it, the most important of which was, the election of a Chief Magistrate. The friends of the new constitution turned their eyes upon Washington; -indeed his name seemed first to occur to the mind

* A periodical, devoted to the advocacy of the principles and doctrines of the constitution, was started, under the auspices of Hamilton, Madison and others. It was called "The Federalist," and was filled with essays, arguing in favor of the proposed change in the government. Those opposed to the constitution styled themselves "Anti-Federalists," and this was the origin of those party names, one of which is familiar to the ear even in our day. Washington belonged to the Federal party, and, although he saw many defects in the constitution, yet it was so much better than all that preceded it, that he gave it his hearty support. It was during his administration, that the "Republican" party came into being, with Mr Jefferson at its head.

of the whole nation. The first Presidential Electors were chosen in February, 1789, and on the first Wednesday of March, the Electoral College met to vote for Chief Magistrate. Washington received the unanimous vote of the electors, and John Adams was chosen VicePresident.

But one act more remained to complete the glorious work begun in 1776, by declaring the colonies "free and independent states." That act was the inauguration of the first President of the Republic, now placed upon a stable basis. It took place in the city of New York, on the thirtieth day of April, 1789. As soon as Washington was apprized of his election, he proceeded to the seat of the general government, at New York. His journey was one triumphant procession, grander far, because of its noble moral aspect, than any that ever attended the return to the capital of the proudest of Rome's many victors. No sorrowing captives; no spoils of palaces and temples; no gorgeous display of banners and spears, and all the dreadful pomp of barbarous War, attended the Hero's march; but through busy towns and smiling fields his pathway to highest exaltation was laid out, and the shouts of a grateful people, mingled with the songs of children and the sweet hosannas of women, greeted him at every step.

At nine o'clock on the morning of his inauguration, Washington attended divine service, a fit preparation for the solemn scene in which he was about to engage. He then proceeded to the old Federal Hall, and upon the balcony, in the presence of assembled thousands, Chancellor Livingston administered to him the oath of office, and proclaimed him the President of the United States. The Revolution was complete, the divine truth of Man's Equality was vindicated, and our Republic-the pride and glory of the earth, started upon its wondrous career.

In the language of that lamented statesman and sage, John Quincy Adams, we say to our countrymen,

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And now the future is all before us, and Providence our guide.

"When the children of Israel, after forty years of wan. derings in the wilderness, were about to enter upon the promised land, their leader, Moses, who was not permitted to cross the Jordan with them, just before his removal from among them, commanded that when the Lord their God should have brought them into the land, they should put the curse upon Mount Ebal, and the blessing upon Mount Gerizim. This injunction was faithfully fulfilled by his successor Joshua. Immediately after they had taken possession of the land, Joshua built an altar to the Lord, of whole stones, upon Mount Ebal. And there he wrote upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the children of Israel: and all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on the two sides of the ark of the covenant, borne by the priests and Levites, six tribes over against Mount Gerizim, and six over against Mount Ebal. And he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that was written in the book of the law.

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Fellow-citizens, the ark of your covenant is the Declaration of Independence. Your Mount Ebal, is the confederacy of separate state sovereignties, and your Mount Gerizim is the Constitution of the United States. In that scene of tremendous and awful solemnity, narrated in the Holy Scriptures, there is not a curse pronounced against the people, upon Mount Ebal, not a blessing promised them upon Mount Gerizim, which your posterity may not suffer or enjoy, from your and their adherence to, or departure from, the principles of the Declaration of Independence, practically interwoven in