The History of Creation

In September1786 commissioners from five states met in the Annapolis Convention to discuss adjustments to the Articles of Confederation that would improve commerce. They invited states representatives to convene in Philadelphia to discuss improvements to the federal government. 55 delegates from all the states except Rhode Island were present. After debate, the Congress of the Confederation endorsed the plan to revise the Articles of Confederation on February 21, 1787. Twelve states, Rhode Island being the only exception, accepted the invitation and sent delegates to convene in May 1787. Many of great founding fathers attended the Convention as delegates from their states. George Washington (elected president of the Convention), Ben Franklin, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were all in attendance. The resolution calling the Convention decided to propose amendments to the Articles, but the Convention decided to propose a written Constitution and to draft a new fundamental government design which eventually stipulated that only nine of the thirteen states would have to ratify for the new government to go into effect (for the participating states).

The drafting of a new Constitution proved a long and difficult task. Regional/ political and economic differences threatened to jeopardize the process. It was only by a carefully crafted compromise that a final document was achieved.

One of the first issues to be resolved was representation to the new government. The Articles of Confederation had allowed each state equal representation and equal say despite size or population and this did not sit well with the largest states (Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania). The smaller states feared losing say in the federal government and so continued to support equality in representation. Finally, it was decided to have a two house legislature, equal representation in the upper house of Congress and proportional representation in the House of Representatives.

Another disputable issue was the post of the President of the state. Nearly all of the delegates agreed on the need for a president to serve as the central figure and the executive of the nation. The disagreement arose over the role and service of such an office. Some delegates, fearing the rise of king-like president advocated for a weak official, who would be limited to a single one-year term. Others argued the need for a powerful figure who would be elected but serve for life. Debate also raged about how best to elect the president and what role the people of the nation should play in his election. In spite of all disagreements the delegates managed to break the impasse. The following compromise was achieved: to conduct elections of the President by the Electoral College; to establish 4-year terms of service for presidents and to set no limits on the number of terms. (It was done later in 1951 by the 22nd amendment.

Immediately following the Constitutional Convention the delegates brought the newly-crafted Constitution to their home states for ratification. While many of the smaller states quickly ratified the new Constitution, the debate in the largest and most important states raged on for months. The debate in New York was particularly divisive. The Constitutional supporters, the Federalists, were represented by A. Hamilton, J.Madison and J.Jay . The anti-federalist opposition to ratification was also strong. The states such as Virginia and Massachusetts agreed to ratify it only after attaching recommendations concerning the addition of a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution were added soon after the ratification and became the US Bill of Rights.

Scanning

1. Answer the following questions.

1. What is understood by the “Constitution”?

2. What are the main functions of a Constitution?

3. What are the peculiarities of the US Constitution?

4. What are the most significant features of the American Constitution?

5. Can the Constitution of the USA be called “the supreme law of the land”?

6. Are there any other laws? What sources are they derived from?

7. What did the 55 delegates gather in Philadelphia for?

8. Were all the 13 colonies present?

9. Was it easy to reach a consensus? Why?

10. What were the stances of different states concerning the representation to the new government?

11. Why did many contradictions concerning the powers and the service of the President appear?

12. Why couldn’t/t the largest and most important states ratify the Constitution for a long time? What two opposing groups appeared?

13. Why was the Bill of Rights of the utmost importance for Americans?

2. Comment on the following statements.

1. The Constitution of the country is the supreme law of the land.

2. Constitutions must be capable of change and adaptation.

3. The concepts and ideas of the Constitution are “the higher law of the land”.

4. In America no one is considered to be above the law.

5. In September 1786 commissioners from 5 states met in the Annapolis Convention.

6. Drafting a new Constitution proved to be a long and difficult task.

7. One of the most disputable issues was representation to the new government.

8. Another issue to be discussed was the post of the President of the state.

9. Though smaller states ratified the new Constitution quickly, the debate in the largest and most important states raged on for months.

10. The debate in New York was particularly divisive.

3. Complete the following sentences.

1. Constitution is … .

2. Being codified in a single written document, the Constitution … .

3. The Constitution of the USA consists of … .

4. The most significant features of the American Constitution are … .

5. Adopting a new Constitution was … .

6. The most hotly debated issues were … .

7. The Bill of Rights is … .

Word Study

1. Translate the following words and word combinations from Russian into English.

Формальное утверждение основных обязательств, ограничений, процедур и институтов; главный закон страны; подчиняться предписаниям; содержаться в одном документе; устанавливать главенство национального правительства; обеспечивать гарантии соблюдения основных прав человека; устанавливать верховенство закона; система сдержек и противовесов; основываться на народном одобрении; изменения и поправки; быть ратифицированным; собираться; составить черновой вариант документа; равное представительство; пропорциональное представительство; возникновение экономических и социальных различий; поддерживать; срок правления.

2. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases.

• to be subject to

• a codified document

• the rule of law

• federal system of government

• system of checks and balances

• republican form of government

• great founding fathers

• an amendment

• federalists

• anti-federalists

• Bill of Rights

3. Find the words in the text that correspond to the following.

• very important, pivotal

• to come from, to originate from

• to pose a threat to, to endanger smth.

• an agreement that is acceptable to both sides

• to settle a dispute

• a debatable issue

• to overcome the deadlock

• to approve a written document and make it official by signing it.

4. Fill in the table as in the example.

Verb	Noun	Adjective
to approve	approval	approved
to specify
		legislative
to state
	authority
		established
		obliged
to amend
		adopted

5. Use the words in the sentences of your own.

5. Do the Constitution Crossword puzzle.

ACROSS

1. Place where the original Constitution can be viewed. (16 letters) 5. First state to ratify the Constitution. (8 letters) 9. Fearing tyranny from a strong central government, some states demanded this be added to the Constitution. (12 letters) 11. He is known as the "Sage of the Constitutional Convention." (8 letters) 13. These essays were written to defend and promote the ratification of the new Constitution. (16 letters) 14. Name given to the group who did not favor ratification of the Constitution. (15 letters) 15. This amendment was repealed. (10 letters)

DOWN

1. This state's signing ratified the Constitution. (12 letters) 2. State that did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention. (11 letters) 3. The 13th Amendment abolished . (7 letters) 4. He introduced the Bill of Rights in the House of Representatives on June 8, 1789. (7 letters). 6. The Constitutional Convention met in this city. (12 letters) 7. The part of the Constitution where you find the phrase "in order to form a more perfect union." (8 letters) 8. Number of amendments to the Constitution. (11 letters) 10. Article that establishes the Constitution as the supreme law of the country. (2 letters) 12. The Nineteenth Amendment protects the voting rights of . (5 letters)

5. Translate the following text from Russian into English. Don’t forget to use Active Vocabulary!

В мае 1787 г. в Филадельфию прибыло 55 делегатов от всех штатов. Делегаты образовали Конституционный конвент. Собравшиеся были объединены общей целью: покончить с сепаратизмом штатов, предупредить установление монархии, а главное – создать основной закон прочного централизованного и в то же время демократического государства. После многочисленных дебатов 17 сентября 1787 г. делегатам – так называемым «отцам-основателям» – удалось преодолеть все разногласия и прийти к компромиссу, они подписали текст первой Конституции США, которая превращала Америку из расплывчатой конфедерации в сильное федеральное государство. Его члены – штаты – сохранили за собой многие права, но основные, касавшиеся всего государства (т.е. вопросы в области внешней политики, обороны, финансов), передали федеральному правительству. Конституция предусматривала принцип разделения ветвей власти и систему «сдержек и противовесов», которая не позволяла усилиться одним органам власти за счет других и предупреждала любые попытки установить всевластие одного человека.

Для своего времени – XVIII века – Конституция США была самой передовой и демократичной. Она находилась в резком контрасте с порядками абсолютистской Европы. Конституция гарантировала право собственности, в том числе и на рабов. В 1789 г. по требованию большинства населения почти всех штатов Дж. Мэдисон сформулировал первые 10 поправок к Конституции – знаменитый Билль о правах. В нем провозглашались свободы слова, собраний, печати, религии, неприкосновенности личности, суд присяжных, а также право каждого американца иметь оружие для самозащиты.

Talking Point

1. Find the text of the American Constitution. Compare the main items to the ideas of the Articles of Confederation. Fill in the table. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?

Weakness in Articles of Confederation	Problems caused	Change in Constitution
No standing army	Inability to deal with different threats
No federal taxation	States did not pay debts to Congress, so federal government had no money
No single national currency	States minted money, no set exchange disrupted trade among states
No Executive Leadership	It resulted in indecision
Each state had equal vote in Congress	Smaller states had disproportional power
Required Unanimous vote to amend	Complete inability to correct the failures under the articles

2. Discuss the following questions in groups. Share your ideas with your groupmates.

1. Why is American Constitution often called ideal? What are its peculiar features?

2. What role does a Constitution play in the political life of the country?

3. Compare the Constitution of the USA to those of the Russian Federation and Great Britain. What are their peculiar features? Do they have anything in common?

Speaking

Prepare a monologue on the following topic: “American Constitution as the basis of American Democracy”.

Writing

Write an essay on the following topic: “Constitution as the main law of the land. Its role in the political life of the country and its citizens”.

UNIT III