E. Write a paper upon some one amendment to our Constitution that you believe to be worthy of adoption.
XXVI. Machinery Of The Government
The Agencies, Officers, And Methods For Exercising Powers Of The National Government
Now my friends, we have reached the end of discussion of the personal guaranties of the Constitution—the American Bill of Rights.
As I have heretofore stated, this is the real, important part of the Constitution, because it is in a study of these guaranties that we fully realize the blessings of our free American government. Any one who has earnestly considered this great American Bill of Rights can readily answer the question, “What has America done for me and for my children”?
But I would not have you feel that the other parts of the Constitution are of small concern. Each provision of this great charter of human rights is very important, and worthy of careful study.
Article I of the Constitution provides that all legislative powers granted “shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives”. Now you will understand of course that up to the time the Constitution was adopted, the United States had no power; in fact there was no United States. The colonists through the Articles of Confederation had attempted to establish a Nation which was designated “The United States of America”, but the result of their efforts was really a confederation, and not a real union.[101] The Nation was formed by the adoption of the Constitution. The Nation formed was in the nature of a partnership. I suppose you know but little about partnerships organized by individuals. A partnership is generally formed by a written agreement signed by the [pg 182] partners. This agreement usually contains provisions as to the share or interest of each partner, the power of the partners and of the partnership, and the objects and purposes of the partnership.
The United States is a partnership between the people and the Nation. The Constitution is a partnership agreement binding upon all the parties to the agreement. Before the adoption of the Constitution the people possessed all the power of government and governmental action. The people gave some of their power to the Nation, but only a small part of the power of the people was given. Always bear in mind that the United States—the Nation—has no power, and never had any except what the people granted in the Constitution and in the amendments thereto.