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 In
Congress Assembled
LESSON ONE: Drafting the Constitution
This lesson, a supplement to a study of the Constitutional Convention,
focuses on The Committee of Detail's draft of the Constitution
submitted on 6 August 1787. The delegates debated its contents
for a month before referring the document to the Committee of
Style. The Committee's report, presented to the Convention on
12 September, became the Constitution of the United States.
Preliminary Activity:
- Examine the powers of the central government under the Articles
of Confederation [Student Background on the Articles of Confederation].
- Review the Resolution of the Continental Congress, 21 February 1787, which called for a convention to propose amendments to the Articles of Confederation.
Discussion:
Frame the discussion of the Committee of Detail's report in
the context of the debates and compromises of the Federal Convention.
- Working within groups, read the Report of the Committee
of Detail and compare it with the final version of
the Constitution.
- Chart the major differences in the two documents.
- Discuss the significance of the wording of the preamble. Consider
questions such as:
- Why is the Preamble of the Constitution drafted by the Committee
of Detail worded, "We the people of the States..."?
- What conclusions could you draw from this wording?
- How significant was the change in wording in the Constitution?
- Examine Article IX of the Report of the Committee of Detail. Consider questions such as:
- How do the Committee of Detail's draft and the adopted Constitution differ regarding the executive branch?
- What may account for these changes?
Culminating Activity:
Debate the efficacy of having the president elected for one
term of seven years as opposed to the present constitutional limitation
of two four year terms established by the Twenty-Second Amendment.
Extension Activities
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Thomas Jefferson on the Constitution
Read
excerpts from Thomas Jefferson's letter to
James Madison from Paris, 20 December 1787, regarding the failure
to limit the term of the executive. Examine elections of the president
in U.S. history as a means of evaluating Jefferson's concerns regarding
"rotation in office."
Correspondence of Delegates at the Philadelphia
Convention
Read the personal correspondence of delegates to gain a better
understanding of hopes, aspirations, and fears of members of the
Federal Convention.
- Numerous letters from Elbridge Gerry to his
wife Ann are included in Supplement to Max Farrand's The Records
of the Federal Convention of 1787 edited by James H. Hutson
(Yale University Press, 1987). (See Selected Resources.)
- Other letters are included in The
Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Volume 3, edited
by Max Farrand (Yale University Press, 1966). (See Selected Resources.)
- Refer to George
Washington's letters to Thomas Jefferson (30 May 1787), to the
Marquis de Lafayette (6 June 1787), and to Alexander Hamilton
(10 July 1787); and
- James Madison's letters to Thomas Jefferson
(18 July 1787) and to his father (28 July 1787); and
- Robert Morris's
letter to his sons (25 June 1787).
The Veto Power
Examine Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution of the United States regarding the presidential veto.
- What bills may a president veto?
- What is required to override a presidential veto?
- Investigate what is meant by the "Pocket Veto."
Refer to Public Law: 104-130 (S.4), Sec.2 Line Item Veto Authority, the line item veto approved by Congress in committee
on 28 March 1996 and signed by the President on 9 April 1996.
- To what extent does the line item veto enhance the power of the presidency?
- Why did Congress agree to the line item veto?
- Write a position paper expressing your views on the line item veto.
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