of treafon; but no attainder of treafon fhall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the perfon attainted. ARTICLE IV. SECTION I.

Full faith and credit fhall be given, in each State, to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congreis may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which fuch acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

SECTION II.

I. The citizens of each State fhall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the feveral States.

II. A perfon charged in any State with treafon, felony, or other crime, who fhall flee from juftice, and be found in another State, fhall, on demand of the Executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurifdiction of the crime.

III. No perfon held to service or labour in one State, under the laws thereof, efcaping into another, fhall, in confequence of any law or regulation therein, be difcharged from fuch fervice or labour; but fhall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom fuch fervice or labour may be due.

SECTION III.

I. New States may be admitted by the Congrefs into this union; but no new State fhall be formed or erected within the jurifdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the confent of the Legiflatures of the States concerned, as well as of the Congrefs.

II. The Cong cfs fhall have power to difpofe of and make all needful rules and regulations refpecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States: and nothing in this Conftitution fhall be io conftrued as to prejudice any claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

SECTION IV.

The United States fhall guaranty to every State in this Union, a republican form of government; and fhall protect each of them againft invafion, and on application of the Legiflature, or of the Executive (when the Legiflature cannot be convened) against domeftic violence.

ARTICLE V.

The Congrefs, whenever two thirds of both Houfes fhall deem it neceflary, fall propofe amendments to this Conftitution, or, on the app lication of the Legiflatures of two thirds of the feveral States, thali call a Convention for propofing amendments, which, in either cafe, fhall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Conftitution, when ratified by the Legifiatures of three fourths of the feveral States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congrefs; providede bat no amendment, which may be made prior to the year one thoufand eight hundred and eight, fhall in any

manner

manner affect the First and Fourth Claufes in the Ninth Section of the First Article: and that no State, without its confent, fhall bẹ deprived of its equal fuffrage in the Senate.

ARTICLE VI.

I. All debts contracted, and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this Conftitution, fhall be as valid against the United States, under this Conftitution, as under the Confederation.

II. This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which fhall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which fhall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the fupreme law of the land; and the Judges, in every State, fhall be bound thereby; any thing in the conftitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

III. The Senators and Reprefentatives before mentioned, and the members of the feveral State Legiflatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the feveral States, fhall be bound, by oath or affirmation, to fupport this Conftitution; but no religious teft fhall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public truft under the United States.

ARTICLE VII.

The ratification of the Conventions of nine States fhall be fufficient for the establishment of this Conftitution between the States fo ratifying the fame.

Congress of the United States,

Begun and held at the City of New-York, on Wednesday, the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. The Conventions of a number of the States having, at the time of their adopting the Conftitution, expreffed a defire, in order to prevent mifconftruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive claufes fhould be added; and as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best enfure the beneficent ends of its inftitution;

Refolved, by the Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives of the United States of America, in Congrefs affembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following articles be proposed to the Legiflatures of the feveral States, as amendments to the Conftitution of the United States; all or any of which articles, when ratified by three fourths of the faid Legiflatures, to be valid, to all intents and purpofes, as part of the faid Conftitution, viz.

Articles in addition to, and amendment of, the Constitution of the United States of America, propofed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the feveral States, puriuant to the Fifth Article, of the original Conftitution.

I. After the first enumeration, required by the Fifth Article of the Conftitution, there fhall be one Reprefentative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred; after which the proportion fhall be fo regulated by Congress that there

G4

fhall

fhall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor less than one Reprefentative for every forty thousand perfons, until the number of Representatives fhall amount to two hundred; after which, the proportion fhall be fo regulated by Congrefs, that there fhall not be less than two hundred Reprefentatives, nor more than one Representative for every fifty thousand perfons.

II. No law, varying the compenfation for the fervices of the Senators and Reprefentatives, fhall take effect, until an election of Representatives fhall have intervened.

III. Congrefs fhall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercife thereof; or abridging the freedom of fpeech, or of the prefs; or the right of the people peaceably to affemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

IV. A well-regulated militia being neceffary to the security of a free ftate, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

V. No foldier fhall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house. without the confent of the owner; nor in time of war but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

VI. The right of the people to be fecure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, againft unreafonable fearches and feizures, fhall not be violated; and no warrants fhall iffue, but upon probable caufe, fupported by oath or affirmation, and particularly defcribing the place to be fearched, and the perfons or things to be feized.

VII. No perfon fhall be held to anfwer for a capital or otherwife infamous crime, unless on a prefentment or indictment by a grand jury, except in cafes arifing in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual fervice, in time of war, or public danger; nor fhall any perfon be fubject, for the fame offence, to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor fhall be compelled, in any criminal cafe, to be a witnefs against himfelf; nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due procefs of law: nor fhall private property be taken for public ufe without just compenfation.

VIII. In all criminal profecutions the accufed fhall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury, of the State and district wherein the crime fhall have been committed, which district shall have been previously afcertained, by law; and to be informed of the nature and caufe of the accufation;' to be confronted with thewitneffes against him; to have compulfatory procefs for obtaining witneffes in his favour; and to have the affiftance of counsel for his defence.

IX. In fuits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury fhall be preserved; and no fact tried by a jury fall be otherwife re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of common law.

X. Exceffive bail shall not be required; nor exceffive fines impofed; nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

XI. The enumeration, in the Conftitution, of certain rights, fhall not be construed to deny or difparage others, retained by the people.

XII. The powers, not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are referved to the States refpectively, or to the people.

N. B. By the returns made into the Secretary of State's Office, it appears that the First Article of the above amendments is agreed to by only feven States-the fecond by only four-and therefore these are not obligatory. All the remainder having been ratified by nine States, are of equal obligation with the Constitution itself.

The defects of this Conftitution will be beft explained by fubfequent events. It is, however, neceffary to obferve here, that the great defect was the leaving of too much power in the hands of the Governments of the different States; but this evil was not to be avoided. It was the obvious interest of a certain class of men in every State, to refift all changes which might hazard a diminution of the power, emolument, and confequence of the offices they held under the State establishments; and the ambition of another clafs of men led them to hope to aggrandize themfelves by the convulfions of their country, or to flatter themselves with fairer profpects of elevation, from the fubdivifion of its territory into feveral partial confederacies, than from its union under one government. The former clafs were pacified by those provifions which left them in poffeffion of their emoJument and confequence; the latter have, ever fince the establishment of the new Conftitution, been endeavouring to fubvert it.

The plan of a Conftitution, which Mr. HAMILTON, who was one of the Deputies from the State of NewYork, propofed to the Convention, has fince been published by his enemies, with a view of destroying his popularity and influence. If the people were not blind, they would perceive that fuch a Government as that which Mr. Hamilton propofed to form,

would

would have prevented all the evils which they haveexperienced for feveral years paft. The propofition of Mr. Hamilton was as follows:

I. The fupreme legiflative power of the United States of America to be vefted in two different bodies of men: the one to be called the Affembly; the other, the Senate; who together fhall form the Legiflature of the United States, with power to pafs all laws whatfoever, fubject to the negative hereafter mentioned.

II. The Affembly to confift of perfons elected by the people, to ferve for three years.

III. The Senate to confift of perfons elected to ferve during good behaviour; their election to be made by clectors chofen for that purpose by the people: in order to this, the States to be divided into election diftricts. On the death, removal, or refignation of any Senator, his place to be filled out of the district from which he

came.

IV. The fupreme executive authority of the United States to be vested in a Governor, to be elected during good behaviour; the election to be made by electors chofen by the people in the election districts aforefaid; the authorities and functions to be as follows; to have a negative upon all laws about to be paffed, and the execution of all laws paffed; to have the direction of war, when authorized or begun; to have, with the advice and confent of the Senate, the power of making all treaties; to have the fole appointment of the heads or chief officers of finance and foreign affairs; to have the nomination of all other officers, ambaffadors to foreign nations included, fubject to the approbation or rejection of the Senate; to have power of pardoning all offences, except treafon, which he fhall not pardon without the approbation of the Senate.

V. On the death, refignation, or removal of the Governor, his authorities to be exercised by the Prefident of the Senate, till a fucceffor be appointed.

VI. The Senate to have the fole power of declaring war, the power of advifing and approving all treaties, the power of approv ing and rejecting all appointments of officers, except the heads or chiefs of the departments of finance, war, and foreign affairs.

VII. The fupreme judicial authority of the United States to be vefted in Judges, to hold their office during good behaviour, with adequate and permanent falaries; the court to have original jurifdiction in all caufes of capture, and an appellate jurisdiction in all caufes on which the revenues of the General Government, or the citizens of foreign nations, are concerned.

VIII. The Legiflature of the United States to have power to inftitute courts in each State, for the determination of all matters of general concern.

IX. The Governors, Senators, and all officers of the United States to be liable to impeachment for mal and corrupt conduct;

and,