Supreme Court, have served to expand and interpret it, and to make it a living organism. The wisdom and foresight of the framers of the Constitution are seen in the fact that thus far the Constitution has remained the fundamental law of the land.

Throughout all these years it has proved itself "adequate to the exigencies of the Union," has readily adapted itself to the changing conditions of our national growth, and has been respected and revered by all persons irrespective of party.

A Group of Men

Famous

under the Constitution.

The

Northwest Terri

tory.

Give a brief sketch of the life, character, and public services of each man named.

James Madison-"The Father of the Constitution."
Alexander Hamilton-"The Great Federalist."

John Marshall-"The Great Jurist."
Thomas Jefferson-"The True Democrat."

Daniel Webster-"The Defender of the Constitu

tion."

John C. Calhoun and the Doctrine of Nullification.
Henry Clay-"The Great Peacemaker."
Stephen A. Douglas and the Doctrine of Popular
Sovereignty.

Abraham Lincoln-"The Great Emancipator."

THE ORDINANCE OF 1787

Second only in importance to the drawing up of the Constitution was the act of the Continental Congress in formulating the Ordinance of 1787. In consequence of the "sea to sea" and other clauses in their charters and grants, the territory lying northwest of the Ohio River was claimed by the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Virginia, while New York also claimed a portion of this territory by virtue of treaties with the Indians. At the time of the adoption of the Articles of Confederation the smaller colonies whose limits were quite definitely fixed, felt that the colonies claiming this vast territory should surrender all unsettled portions of their claims to the general government. Maryland, in fact, refused to ratify the Articles until these cessions were made. These four states

finally transferred to the government all their interest in this territory covering over three hundred thousand square miles.

tance of

The action of the states in ceding to the general Imporgovernment all their claims to the northwest territory was important at the time for two reasons:

Cession

to the

General

(1) It was thought that this would give the govern- Government a source of revenue in the sale of land ment. to settlers. (Records show, however, the government never realized any revenue in this way from this territory.)

(2) The fact that the northwest territory was the property of the national government, and that each state thus had an interest in this land, was undoubtedly a strong influence in holding the states together at the time of the adoption of the Constitution.

Ordi

nance.

Although the Congress had no authority to take Provisions such action, it enacted the now famous ordinance of the of 1787, which has since been a model for the government of our territories. This ordinance organized a government for the territory bounded by the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, and the Great Lakes. It provided that whenever a section contained sixty thousand people it might be organized into a state, and that no less than three nor more than five states should be formed from the tract. Provision was made for civil liberty and free schools, and absolute freedom of faith and worship was guaranteed. Slavery was prohibited, but it was provided that slaves escaping from other states into

this territory should be returned to their masters. Strange as it may seem, the clause prohibiting slavery in this territory received the approval of the delegates of every state.

To the Pupil:

QUESTIONS

1. Memorize the Preamble, or Enacting Clause, of the Constitution.

2. Mention the places in the Constitution proper or in the Amendments where specific reference is made to any

of the six great rights claimed by the English colonists in America.

3. Under what circumstances was the Constitutional Convention called?

4. Why was the Constitution of the United States necessary ? 5. Why did the Constitutional Convention hold secret sessions?

6. Discuss some of the prominent men in the convention and mention the characteristics of each that you most admire and that seemed to fit him for his particular part in the convention.

7. Why did the convention abandon the original idea of amending the Articles of Confederation?

8. What questions provoked the most argument? Tell how each was settled.

9. How did the makers improve on the articles of Confedera

tion?

10. Why is it necessary to have a written Constitution? 11. What is remarkable about the fact that the Constitution with the exception of the amendments has remained unchanged, and even with the amendments consists of less than seven thousand words? Compare this remarkable record with that of your state constitution. 12. The Constitution provided "a more perfect union" by establishing a Congress consisting of the Senate and

the House of Representatives, its members elected by the people. Referring to the six aims set forth in the Preamble, give in a similar manner one example of how the Constitution provided for each aim.

13. After studying the outline of the Three Departments of Government show how they check and balance.

14. Consult the Table on the Ratification of the Constitution and list the states where the vote for ratification was close, also those where the vote was unanimous, and see if you can account for such action.

15. Why was the Ordinance of 1787 such an important document?

16. What would have happened if the four states had refused to transfer this territory to the government? 17. How has the foresight used in preparing this document benefitted the states which now comprise this territory? Things to Do:

1. Write a timely newspaper article for publication during the period the Constitutional Convention was in session. 2. Suppose you spent an hour in the Constitutional Convention and were entitled to tell what happened there. On your return give the class the benefit of your impressions.

3. As a member of the Convention prepare a convincing argument for ratification to be used in a state where it was doubtful that the state convention would ratify. 4. Organize the class into a Constitutional Convention electing George Washington (teacher) as Chairman and James Madison (pupil) as Secretary. Appoint a committee on rules the report of which should be adopted. Decide on topics for discussion such as the "Virginia Plan" or "term of President"; and using Madison's "Journal of the Constitutional Convention," assign pupils to represent real members of the Convention. The chairman can limit the debate and economize the time of the pupils by making definite page assignments.