Politically Incorrect Guide To The Constitution (Politically Incorrect Guides) (40 page)

Button Gwinnett

Lyman Hall

George Walton

William Hooper

Joseph Hewes

John Penn

Edward Rutledge

Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Thomas Lynch, Jr.

Arthur Middleton

John Hancock

Samuel Chase

William Paca

Thomas Stone

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

George Wythe

Richard Henry Lee

Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Harrison

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Francis Lightfoot Lee

Carter Braxton

Robert Morris

Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Franklin

John Morton

George Clymer

James Smith

George Taylor

James Wilson

George Ross

Caesar Rodney

George Read

Thomas McKean

William Floyd

Philip Livingston

Francis Lewis

Lewis Morris

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Francis Hopkinson

John Hart

Abraham Clark

Josiah Bartlett

William Whipple

Matthew Thornton

Samuel Adams

John Adams

Robert Treat Paine

Elbridge Gerry

Stephen Hopkins

William Ellery

Roger Sherman

Samuel Huntington

William Williams

Oliver Wolcott

We the People of the United
States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure
domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the general
Welfare, and secure the Blessings of
Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

All legislative Powers herein
granted shall be vested in a Congress
of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives
shall be composed of Members chosen
every second Year by the People of the
several States, and the Electors in each
State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the
Age of twenty five Years, and been
seven Years a Citizen of the United
States, and who shall not, when
elected, be an Inhabitant of that State
in which he shall be chosen.

Representatives and direct Taxes
shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included
within this Union, according to their
respective Numbers, which shall be
determined by adding to the whole
Number of free Persons, including
those bound to Service for a Term of
Years, and excluding Indians not
taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.
The actual Enumeration shall be made
within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United
States, and within every subsequent

Term of ten Years, in such Manner as
they shall by Law direct. The Number
of Representatives shall not exceed
one for every thirty Thousand, but
each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New
Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse
three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-
Island and 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 Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the
Representation from any State, the
Executive Authority thereof shall
issue Writs of Election to fill such
Vacancies.

The House of Representatives
shall chuse their Speaker and other
Officers; and shall have the sole
Power of Impeachment.

The Senate of the United States
shall be composed of two Senators
from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six Years; and each
Senator shall have one Vote.

Immediately after they shall be
assembled in Consequence of the first
Election, they shall be divided as
equally as may be into three Classes.
The Seats of the Senators of the first
Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second
Class at the Expiration of the fourth
Year, and of the third Class at the
Expiration of the sixth Year, so that
one third may be chosen every second
Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the
Recess of the Legislature of any State,
the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next

Meeting of the Legislature, which
shall then fill such Vacancies.

No Person shall be a Senator who
shall not have attained to the Age of
thirty Years, and been nine Years a
Citizen of the United States, and who
shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be
chosen.

The Vice President of the United
States shall be President of the Senate,
but shall have no Vote, unless they be
equally divided.

The Senate shall chuse their other
Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the
Office of President of the United
States.

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 justice shall preside: And no
Person shall be convicted without the
Concurrence of two thirds of the
Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to
removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of
honor, Trust or Profit under the
United States: but the Party convicted
shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and
Punishment, according to Law.

The Times, Places and Manner of
holding Elections for Senators and
Representatives, shall be prescribed in
each State by the Legislature thereof;
but the Congress may at any time by
Law make or alter such Regulations,
except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

The Congress shall assemble at
least once in every Year, and such
Meeting shall be on the first Monday
in December, unless they shall by Law
appoint a different Day.

Each House shall be the Judge of
the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a
Majority of each shall constitute a
Quorum to do Business; but a smaller
Number may adjourn from day to day,
and may be authorized to compel the
Attendance of absent Members, in
such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

Each House may determine the
Rules of its Proceedings, punish its
Members for disorderly Behaviour,
and, with the Concurrence of two
thirds, expel a Member.

Each House shall keep a Journal of
its Proceedings, and from time to time
publish the same, excepting such
Parts as may in their Judgment require
Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the
Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of
those Present, be entered on the Journal.

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 be sitting.

The Senators and Representatives
shall receive a Compensation for their
Services, to be ascertained by Law,
and paid out of the Treasury of the
United States. They shall in all Cases,
except Treason, Felony and Breach of
the Peace, be privileged from Arrest
during their Attendance at the Session
of their respective Houses, and in
going to and returning from the same;
and for any Speech or Debate in either
House, they shall not be questioned in
any other Place.

No Senator or Representative
shall, during the Time for which he

was elected, be appointed to any civil
Office under the Authority of the
United States, which shall have been
created, or the Emoluments whereof
shall have been encreased during such
time; and no Person holding any
Office under the United States, shall
be a Member of either House during
his Continuance in Office.

All Bills for raising Revenue shall
originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or
concur with Amendments as on other
Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed
the House of Representatives and the
Senate, shall, before it become a Law,
be presented to the President of the
United States: If he approve he shall
sign it, but if not he shall return it,
with his Objections to that House in
which it shall have originated, who
shall enter the Objections at large on
their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration
two thirds of that House shall agree to
pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together
with the Objections, to the other
House, by which it shall likewise be
reconsidered, and if approved by two
thirds of that House, it shall become a
Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of
both Houses shall be determined by
yeas and Nays, and the Names of the
Persons voting for and against the Bill
shall be entered on the Journal of each
House respectively. If any Bill shall
not be returned by the President
within ten Days (Sundays excepted)
after it shall have been presented to
him, the Same shall be a Law, in like
Manner as if he had signed it, unless
the Congress by their Adjournment
prevent its Return, in which Case it
shall not be a Law.

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to
which the Concurrence of the Senate
and House of Representatives may be
necessary (except on a question of
Adjournment) shall be presented to
the President of the United States; and

before the Same shall take Effect, shall
be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by
two thirds of the Senate and House of
Representatives, according to the
Rules and Limitations prescribed in
the Case of a Bill.

The Congress shall have Power To
lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts
and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but
all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall
be uniform throughout the United
States;

To borrow Money on the credit of
the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several
States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of
Naturalization, and uniform Laws on
the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value
thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix
the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of
counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post
Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science
and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors
the exclusive Right to their respective
Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to
the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and
Felonies committed on the high Seas,
and Offences against the Law of
Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of
Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules
concerning Captures on Land and
Water;

To raise and support Armies, but
no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than
two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government
and Regulation of the land and naval
Forces;

To provide for calling forth the
Militia to execute the Laws of the
Union, suppress Insurrections and
repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming,
and disciplining, the Militia, and for
governing such Part of them as may be
employed in the Service of the United
States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the
Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation
in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square)
as may, by Cession of particular
States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to
exercise like Authority over all Places
purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same
shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and
other needful Buildings;-And

To make all Laws which shall be
necessary and proper for carrying into
Execution the foregoing Powers, and
all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the
United States, or in any Department or
Officer thereof.

The Migration or Importation of
such Persons as any of the States now
existing shall think proper to admit,
shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand
eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or
duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for
each Person.

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas
Corpus shall not be suspended, unless

when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

No Bill of Attainder or ex post
facto Law shall be passed.