THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION    We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfectUnion, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide forthe common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure theBlessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain andestablish this Constitution for the United States of America.Article. I.Section 1.All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congressof the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House ofRepresentatives.Section. 2.Clause 1: The House of Representatives shall be composed of Memberschosen every second Year by the People of the several States, andthe Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisitefor Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.Clause 2: No Person shall be a Representative who shall not haveattained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years aCitizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, bean Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.Clause 3: Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportionedamong the several States which may be included within this Union,according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determinedby adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including thosebound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians nottaxed, three fifths of all other Persons. (See Note 2) The actualEnumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meetingof the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequentTerm of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. TheNumber of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirtyThousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative;and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshireshall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Islandand Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six,New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six,Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgiathree.Clause 4: When vacancies happen in the Representation from anyState, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Electionto fill such Vacancies.Clause 5: The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speakerand other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.Section. 3.Clause 1: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of twoSenators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, (SeeNote 3) for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.Clause 2: Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequenceof the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may beinto three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Classshall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the secondClass at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Classat the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosenevery second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, orotherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, theExecutive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the nextMeeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.(See Note 4)Clause 3: No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attainedto the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of theUnited States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitantof that State for which he shall be chosen.Clause 4: The Vice President of the United States shall be Presidentof the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equallydivided.Clause 5: The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also aPresident pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, orwhen he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.Clause 6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation.When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justiceshall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without theConcurrence of two thirds of the Members present.Clause 7: Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend furtherthan to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoyany Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States:  butthe Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject toIndictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.Section. 4.Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections forSenators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State bythe Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Lawmake or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusingSenators.Clause 2: The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year,and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, (SeeNote 5) unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.Section. 5.Clause 1: Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returnsand Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shallconstitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjournfrom day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance ofabsent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as eachHouse may provide.Clause 2: Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings,punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrenceof two thirds, expel a Member.Clause 3: Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, andfrom time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may intheir Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Membersof either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifthof those Present, be entered on the Journal.Clause 4: Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall,without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days,nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall besitting.Section. 6.Clause 1: The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensationfor their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of theTreasury of the United States. (See Note 6) They shall in all Cases,except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, beprivileged fromArrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respectiveHouses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for anySpeech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned inany other Place.Clause 2: No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time forwhich he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under theAuthority of the United States, which shall have been created, orthe Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time;and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall bea Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.Section. 7.Clause 1: All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in theHouse of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur withAmendments as on other Bills.Clause 2: Every Bill which shall have passed the House ofRepresentatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, bepresented to the President of the United States; If he approve heshall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objectionsto that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enterthe Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsiderit. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shallagree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with theObjections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise bereconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shallbecome a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shallbe determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons votingfor and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of eachHouse respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by thePresident within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall havebeen presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner asif he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournmentprevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.Clause 3: Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrenceof the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (excepton a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the Presidentof the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shallbe approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassedby two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, accordingto the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.Section. 8.Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes,Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for thecommon Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but allDuties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the UnitedStates;Clause 2: To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;Clause 3: To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among theseveral States, and with the Indian Tribes;Clause 4: To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, anduniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the UnitedStates;Clause 5: To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreignCoin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;Clause 6: To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting theSecurities and current Coin of the United States;Clause 7: To establish Post Offices and post Roads;Clause 8: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, bysecuring for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusiveRight to their respective Writings and Discoveries;Clause 9: To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;Clause 10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed onthe high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;Clause 11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal,and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;Clause 12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation ofMoney to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;Clause 13: To provide and maintain a Navy;Clause 14: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of theland and naval Forces;Clause 15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute theLaws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;Clause 16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining,the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employedin the Service of the United States, reserving to the Statesrespectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authorityof training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed byCongress;Clause 17: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever,over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, byCessionof particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become theSeat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise likeAuthority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislatureof the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts,Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--AndClause 18: To make all Laws which shall be necessary and properfor carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all otherPowers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the UnitedStates, or in any Department or Officer thereof.Section. 9.Clause 1: The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any ofthe States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not beprohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eighthundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on suchImportation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.Clause 2: The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not besuspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the publicSafety may require it.Clause 3: No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.Clause 4: No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unlessin Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directedto be taken. (See Note 7)Clause 5: No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported fromany State.Clause 6: No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerceor Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: norshall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter,clear, or pay Duties in another.Clause 7: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but inConsequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statementand Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Moneyshall be published from time to time.Clause 8: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the UnitedStates: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust underthem, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of anypresent, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, fromany King, Prince, or foreign State.Section. 10.Clause 1: No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, orConfederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money;emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin aTender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex postfacto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grantany Title of Nobility.Clause 2: No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, layany Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may beabsolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws:  and thenet Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Importsor Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the UnitedStates; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision andControul of the Congress.Clause 3: No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay anyDuty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace,enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with aforeign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or insuch imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.Article. II.Section. 1.Clause 1: The executive Power shall be vested in a President ofthe United States of America. He shall hold his Office during theTerm of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosenfor the same Term, be elected, as followsClause 2: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislaturethereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Numberof Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitledin the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holdingan Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall beappointed an Elector.Clause 3: The Electors shall meet in their respective States, andvote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not bean Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shallmake a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number ofVotes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmitsealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directedto the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall,in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, openall the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. ThePerson having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President,if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electorsappointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority,and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representativesshall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; andif no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on theList the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. Butin chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, theRepresentation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for thisPurpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds ofthe States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary toa Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, thePerson having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shallbe the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more whohave equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot theVice President. (See Note 8)Clause 4: The Congress may determine the Time of chusing theElectors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; whichDay shall be the same throughout the United States.Clause 5: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen ofthe United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution,shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall anyPerson be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained tothe Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Residentwithin the United States.Clause 6: In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, orof his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powersand Duties of the said Office, (See Note 9) the Same shall devolveon the VicePresident, and the Congress may by Law provide for theCase of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of thePresident and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall thenact as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, untilthe Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.Clause 7: The President shall, at stated Times, receive for hisServices, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nordiminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected,and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolumentfrom the United States, or any of them.Clause 8: Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shalltake the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (oraffirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President ofthe United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve,protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."Section. 2.Clause 1: The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Armyand Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the severalStates, when called into the actual Service of the United States;he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officerin each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating tothe Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power togrant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States,except in Cases of Impeachment.Clause 2: He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consentof the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senatorspresent concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Adviceand Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other publicMinisters and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all otherOfficers of the United States, whose Appointments are not hereinotherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: butthe Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferiorOfficers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in theCourts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.Clause 3: The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacanciesthat may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by grantingCommissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.Section. 3.He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of theState of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration suchMeasures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, onextraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them,and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Timeof Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall thinkproper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers;he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shallCommission all the Officers of the United States.Section. 4.The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the UnitedStates, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, andConviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.Article. III.Section. 1.The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in onesupreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may fromtime to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supremeand inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour,and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation,which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.Section. 2.Clause 1: The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law andEquity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the UnitedStates, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under theirAuthority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other publicMinisters and Consuls;--to all Cases of admiralty and maritimeJurisdiction;--to Controversies to which the United States shallbe a Party;--to Controversies between two or more States;--betweena State and Citizens of another State; (See Note 10)--betweenCitizens of different States, --between Citizens of the same Stateclaiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between aState, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens orSubjects.Clause 2: In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministersand Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supremeCourt shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Casesbefore mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction,both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under suchRegulations as the Congress shall make.Clause 3: The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment,shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State wherethe said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committedwithin any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places asthe Congress may by Law have directed.Section. 3.Clause 1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only inlevying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, givingthem Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unlesson the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or onConfession in open Court.Clause 2: The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishmentof Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption ofBlood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.Article. IV.Section. 1.Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the publicActs, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. Andthe Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which suchActs, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effectthereof.Section. 2.Clause 1: The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to allPrivileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.Clause 2: A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, orother Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in anotherState, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State fromwhich he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State havingJurisdiction of the Crime.Clause 3: No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, underthe Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence ofany Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service orLabour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whomsuch Service or Labour may be due. (See Note 11)Section. 3.Clause 1: New States may be admitted by the Congress into thisUnion; but no new State shall be formed or erected within theJurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by theJunction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without theConsent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as ofthe Congress.Clause 2: The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make allneedful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or otherProperty belonging to the United States; and nothing in thisConstitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims ofthe United States, or of any particular State.Section. 4.The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union aRepublican Form of Government, and shall protect each of themagainst Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of theExecutive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domesticViolence.Article. V.The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem itnecessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, onthe Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the severalStates, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which,in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Partof this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of threefourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourthsthereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposedby the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made priorto the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manneraffect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of thefirst Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall bedeprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.Article. VI.Clause 1: All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, beforethe Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against theUnited States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.Clause 2: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United Stateswhich shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made,or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States,shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every Stateshall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws ofany State to the Contrary notwithstanding.Clause 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, andthe Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executiveand judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the severalStates, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support thisConstitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as aQualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.Article. VII.The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall besufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between theStates so ratifying the Same.done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States presentthe Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousandseven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the UnitedStates of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereuntosubscribed our Names,GO WASHINGTON--Presidt. and deputy from Virginia[Signed also by the deputies of twelve States.]DelawareGeo: Read Gunning Bedford jun John Dickinson  Richard BassettJaco: BroomMarylandJames MCHenry Dan of ST ThoS. Jenifer  DanL Carroll.VirginiaJohn Blair-- James Madison Jr.North CarolinaWM Blount RichD. Dobbs Spaight.  Hu WilliamsonSouth CarolinaJ. Rutledge Charles 1ACotesworth Pinckney Charles Pinckney PierceButler.GeorgiaWilliam Few Abr BaldwinNew HampshireJohn Langdon Nicholas GilmanMassachusettsNathaniel Gorham Rufus KingConnecticut WM. SamL. Johnson Roger ShermanNew YorkAlexander HamiltonNew JerseyWil: Livingston David Brearley.  WM. Paterson.  Jona: DaytonPennsylvaniaB Franklin Thomas Mifflin RobT Morris Geo. Clymer ThoS. FitzSimonsJared Ingersoll  James Wilson.  Gouv MorrisAttest William Jackson SecretaryNOTESNote 1: This text of the Constitution follows the engrossed copysigned by Gen. Washington and the deputies from 12 States. Thesmall superior figures preceding the paragraphs designate Clauses,and were not in the original and have no reference to footnotes.The Constitution was adopted by a convention of the States onSeptember 17, 1787, and was subsequently ratified by the severalStates, on the following dates: Delaware, December 7, 1787;Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787; New Jersey, December 18, 1787;Georgia, January 2, 1788; Connecticut, January 9, 1788; Massachusetts,February 6, 1788; Maryland, April 28, 1788; South Carolina, May23, 1788; New Hampshire, June 21, 1788.Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788.The Constitution was subsequently ratified by Virginia, June 25,1788; New York, July 26, 1788; North Carolina, November 21, 1789;Rhode Island, May 29, 1790; and Vermont, January 10, 1791.In May 1785, a committee of Congress made a report recommending analteration in the Articles of Confederation, but no action wastaken on it, and it was left to the State Legislatures to proceedin the matter. In January 1786, the Legislature of Virginia passeda resolution providing for the appointment of five commissioners,who, or any three of them, should meet such commissioners as mightbe appointed in the other States of the Union, at a time and placeto be agreed upon, to take into consideration the trade of theUnited States; to consider how far a uniform system in theircommercial regulations may be necessary to their common interestand their permanent harmony; and to report to the several Statessuch an act, relative to this great object, as, when ratified bythem, will enable the United States in Congress effectually toprovide for the same. The Virginia commissioners, after somecorrespondence, fixed the first Monday in September as the time,and the city of Annapolis as the place for the meeting, but onlyfour other States were represented, viz:  Delaware, New York, NewJersey, and Pennsylvania; the commissioners appointed by Massachusetts,New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Rhode Island failed to attend.Under the circumstances of so partial a representation, thecommissioners present agreed upon a report, (drawn by Mr. Hamilton,of New York,) expressing their unanimous conviction that it mightessentially tend to advance the interests of the Union if the Statesby which they were respectively delegated would concur, and usetheir endeavors to procure the concurrence of the other States, inthe appointment of commissioners to meet at Philadelphia on theSecond Monday of May following, to take into consideration thesituation of the United States; to devise such further provisionsas should appear to them necessary to render the Constitution ofthe Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union;and to report such an act for that purpose to the United States inCongress assembled as, when agreed to by them and afterwardsconfirmed by the Legislatures of every State, would effectuallyprovide for the same.Congress, on the 21st of February, 1787, adopted a resolution infavor of a convention, and the Legislatures of those States whichhad not already done so (with the exception of Rhode Island) promptlyappointed delegates. On the 25th of May, seven States havingconvened, George Washington, of Virginia, was unanimously electedPresident, and the consideration of the proposed constitution wascommenced. On the 17th of September, 1787, the Constitution asengrossed and agreed upon was signed by all the members present,except Mr. Gerry of Massachusetts, and Messrs. Mason and Randolph,of Virginia. The president of the convention transmitted it toCongress, with a resolution stating how the proposed FederalGovernment should be put in operation, and an explanatory letter.Congress, on the 28th of September, 1787, directed the Constitutionso framed, with the resolutions and letter concerning the same, to"be transmitted to the several Legislatures in order to be submittedto a convention of delegates chosen in each State by the peoplethereof, in conformity to the resolves of the convention."On the 4th of March, 1789, the day which had been fixed for commencingthe operations of Government under the new Constitution, it hadbeen ratified by the conventions chosen in each State to considerit, as follows: Delaware, December 7, 1787; Pennsylvania, December12, 1787; New Jersey, December 18, 1787; Georgia, January 2, 1788;Connecticut, January 9, 1788; Massachusetts, February 6, 1788;Maryland, April 28, 1788; South Carolina, May 23, 1788; New Hampshire,June 21, 1788; Virginia, June 25, 1788; and New York, July 26,1788.The President informed Congress, on the 28th of January, 1790, thatNorth Carolina had ratified the Constitution November 21, 1789;and he informed Congress on the 1st of June, 1790, that Rhode Islandhad ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790. Vermont, in convention,ratified the Constitution January 10, 1791, and was, by an act ofCongress approved February 18, 1791, "received and admitted intothis Union as a new and entire member of the United States."Note 2: The part of this Clause relating to the mode of apportionmentof representatives among the several States has been affected bySection 2 of amendment XIV, and as to taxes on incomes withoutapportionment by amendment XVI.Note 3: This Clause has been affected by Clause 1 of amendmentXVII.Note 4: This Clause has been affected by Clause 2 of amendmentXVIII.Note 5: This Clause has been affected by amendment XX.Note 6: This Clause has been affected by amendment XXVII.Note 7: This Clause has been affected by amendment XVI.Note 8: This Clause has been superseded by amendment XII.Note 9: This Clause has been affected by amendment XXV.Note 10: This Clause has been affected by amendment XI.Note 11: This Clause has been affected by amendment XIII.