On 17 September 1787, everyone in the room knew the meaning of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3: “The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative.”
Alexander Hamilton knew.
Dude named Benjamin Franklin knew.
James Madison, he knew.
George Washington knew, as the “thirty” was a wish of his.
The founders, all 39 of them, knew what they were signing on that September day.
Three dissenters knew too, as they withheld their signatures because of what they didn’t want to sign.
The Constitution was then sent to and ratified by all 13 independent states, so they all knew.
What did they know?
They knew that “We the People” was a constitutionally created way, one recreated every ten years.
They also knew that along that way there would be webs.
Webs are things that snare.
To avoid webs, stay on the way, the We the People way.
Happy Constitution Day All!
*Next Up: A 2020 political theory update on 10 October, Locke, Madison and Dahl.
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner