|
Fun Facts, Figures and
Quotes about the Constitution
and the
Development of the U.S. Government
Wednesday,
September 14, 2005
- From what four documents did our
Constitution and Bill of Rights derive its philosophy?
1. Magna Carta (of 1215),
2. Petition of Rights (1628),
3. Write of Habeas Corpus (1679) and
4. the English Bill of Rights (1689)
- The final surrender of the British Redcoats to the American colonists
took place in Yorktown, Virginia which ended the Revolutionary War.
- The Revolutionary War was fought over 8 years. (1775-1783)
- The Constitution was written in Philadelphia at Independence Hall.
- Which state did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention and
was the last of the 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution? Rhode Island
- When asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention
approved of, Benjamin Franklin responded to the lady who asked, “A
Republic, if you can keep it.”
He also invented the concept of Daylight Savings Time and initiated the
first public library in the U.S.
- In New York, under the name of “Publius” 85 essays were written
advocating the ratification of the Constitution. These essays were the
Federalist Papers.
- In court? Got a case of Double jeopardy? Which amendment protects you
from being tried more than once on the same charges? 5th amendment.
- The third amendment prohibits the housing of soldiers without the
consent of the owner. This was an answer to the British’s imperial
military imposing this “honor” on colonists during the Revolutionary war
while fighting those that housed them!
- It took a smidge over two years (June 1866 – July 9, 1868) to ratify the
fourteenth amendment.
- Even though he can participate in Senate proceedings he cannot vote in
them, unless there is a tie.
- The Electoral College was created to make a Republican representative
form in a presidential election.
- Who was the first Republican president? Abraham Lincoln.
- The 538 votes of the Electoral College are counted in the Capitol in
Washington D.C. after the Monday following the second Wednesday in
December, when they cast their vote.
- If there was not an Electoral College then candidates would campaign in
the most populated states and to their issues instead of a number of
states with different constituencies.
- Minimum age for the House of Representatives: 25 years old
- Minimum age for the Senate: 30 years old
- Minimum age for the Presidency: 35 years old
- Wyoming is the least populated state and has the least amount of
Congressional Districts.
|
