The founding and founders of the United States : and Roger Sherman, a neglected founder

THE FOUNDING AND THE FOUNDERS OF THE UNITED STATES AND ROGER SHERMAN
A NEGLECTED FOUNDER BY JAMES COFFEE HARRIS
9
Printed by the Pupils of The Georgia School for the Deaf
1938

CHAPTER I
FACTS LEADING TO THE FOUNDING OF
THE UNITED STATES
THE founder of our government whose present constitution was made in 1787 were those (a) who took a leading part in securing our independence from Great Britain and (b) determined the form of government we should have today', determing what powers the central government should have and what powers should be reserved to the states.
Our nation as it is grew out of the thirteen Colonies, which lay along the Atlantic Seaboard with a hinterland of of only a few hundred miles, and had, when we secured 0.llr independence, about three million white inhabitants. They were all settled by emigrants from Great Britain, the earliest being Virginia, 1607, the next, Massachusetts, 1620, the last, Georgia, 1732, the settlements of the thirteen being accomplished in 125 years. They occupied territory belonging to Great Britain whose soldiers had defended it from the French and Indians who also claimed it. Great Britain fought to possess this territory in a series of wars, the last of which ended in 17i6. The French had built a line of forts extending from ,the Great Lakes to the mouth of the Mississippi and wet-e constantly pushing their territory toward the Atlantic.
The French and Indian wars against Great Britain began in 17;2 when Robert Dinwiddie, royal governor of Virginia, alarmed by reports of the hostile intentions of the French and of their encroachments on territory claimed by the Virginia colony, ~ppointed G~orge Washington, then 20 years old, to visit the French fort Duquesne, located where Pittsburg now stands and protest their occupancy. The report of Washington, which was forwarded to the King, confirmed the fears <:>f Dinwiddie, who appointed Washington major and put him in charge of the Virginia troops which he se nt to drive the French and Indians back. This expedition failing, the English government sent a part of its regular army to Virginia, 1200 picked men under General Edward Braddock, who appointed Washington, then a colonel, as his aide, and advanced in July, 1755, to attack the French regulars and their Indian allies at Fort Duquesne. Within nine miles of the fort the Britain troops were ambushed by their enemies and completely rounted. General Braddock was mortally wounded and died at Great Meadows to which he had retreated some fifty miles away. George Washington, in command of the survivors who were less' than half of the original attacking party, led them tin safety to governor Dinwiddie. The French also defented
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the British regular at Fort Ticonderoga in 1758, but the British under Wolfe obtained such a victory over the French under montcalm at Quebec in 1759 that the war really ended, though the peace was not declared until the Treaty to Paris in 1763. The expense incurred by England in conductin~ tI,.eseFrench and Indian wars had been so great that Governqr Dinwiddie of Virginia recommended to the King that a tax b~ laid on the colonies to defray it. It was the effort to cQllect this tax that caused the revolt of the colonies and brought on the Revolutionary War.
It is interesting to note that the French and Indian War was begun by an attack of Virginia troops which were led by George W'ashington when he was 22 years old in 1754. and that he kept the command of the Virginia troop as Q>lonel till 1756, when he resigned because his rank as a colonel of the Colonial forces was not recognized by the British government. However his great courage and other high qualities as a military leader had been proved, and these were widely known throughout all the colonies. These gave him such prestige that when in 1775 the colonies needed a gilmeral for their army, all eyes were turned to him, and by a unanimous vote of the Congress he was appointed to that .high position.
In 1775 the Second Continental Congress was sitting at Philadelphia. There in it delegates from all thirteen of the colonies. It was June 15, two months after British troops :tt' Boston had skirmihes with the minute Men at Lexington ap.d Concord Bridge, April 19, and information had reached the Congress that troops composed mainly of residents of the :New England States had gathered by thousands, muskets in hand, under Colonel< William PrescotJt, and were besieging Boston, then occupied by British regulars under General Thomas Gates, who was also the royal governor of Massachusetts. They had learned that Governor Gates was rigorously enforcing the English statutes concerning the collection of taxes. A resolution was passed June 15 adopting the besieging 'forae at Boston as the army of the Continental Congress, .and it became necessary to elect a general-in-chief. Though the soldiers of the army were then nearly all from the New England States, John Adams of Massachusetts moved that George Washington, then in the Congress as a delegate trom Virginia, be made a general and Commander-in-Chief of the American forces. The motion was carried unanimously, and Washington immedately accepted the commission. In his brief speech of acceptance he declared his lack of ability to undertake so great a task. It is interesting to note that he served throughout the war without salary for his service.
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Washington proceeded at once to Boston. but did not
reach there until several days after the Battle of Bunker Hill
had been fought. He assumed command on JUly 3. He
continued to press the seige of Boston and did it so vigorously
that the British troops evacuated the city. which they did in March 1776.

Thus began the Revolutionary War. which was ended by
the surrender 0; the EnglIsh troops under Lord Cornwallis :at
Yorktown, October 19, 1781. This was its last battle and . assured the complete triumph of the cause of the thirteen
colemas. but the final tieaty of peace was not made untJl September 3, 1783 when it was signed at Paris. A prelim. inary treaty had been made at Paris. November 30, 1782. and
signed by John Adams. ;ohn Jay. Benjamin Franklin, and Henry Laurens. This not being entirly satifactory, the final
treaty was made as negotiated by Henry Laurens of South
Carolina.

Thus the thirteen colonies of Great Britain in America

became thirteen independent states. They were, however.

t)ound to each other by the Articles of Confederation which

the Congress had drafted in I 777, a year after they had

adOJJted the ~claration of Independence. The Articles of

Confederation were adopted by the colonies in 1783. They

proved to be exceedingly defective and inadequate for the

succesful carrying on of the government; This having be-

;\ r-ome apparent to all. a convention was called at Philadelphia

-- that made the Constitution of the United States of America. ~.1'his having been adopted by the Colonies brought into ex~istsance our present government; Its founders were those (I)

who composed the Continental Cogresses which sat every year

;"from 1774 to 1788 which began the Revolutionary War and

waged it toa sucessful conclusion, passed the Declaration of

Independence and framed the Articles of Confederation, and

(2) those who composed the Constitutional Convention that

framed our Constitution in 1787. Our founders therefore

were those who were members of the Coninental CongresseS

and of the Constitutional Convention. These men were se-

lected by the various colonists as their delegates to a centm!

congress, which would determine what course was best for all

in a most critical situation. Because of this they were nearly

all the greatest men in all the thirteen colonies. great intel-

.,Jectually. great morally, great as patriots. Though oui

";., country has grown from three million to one hundred thirty

._, million inhabitants. it cannot now produce greater men than

were our founders who labored from 1774 to 1788.

''Y)

"-'

The last and by far the greatest achievement of the

founders was the making of the Constitution which was ~(-

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complished in 1787. In the latter part of March, 1785, two commissions met at the home of Washington at Mt. Vernon, one representing Maryland, the other, Virginia, to compose fbe difference between those two states growing mainly out of the navigation of the Potomac, which belonged to Maryland, the charter to Lord Baltimore having made it so. The bickerings between the two colonies had grown bitter, and the consequences were serious. The deliberations of the commissioners with Washington's help ended in making a federation com~ posed of Virginia and Maryland. It provided for commerce between the two states and led to agreements between these ~tates and New Jersey and Pennsylvania as to navigation on the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay. It was also the cause of a call by Virginia a year later to all the colomes to send delegates to Annapolis, which in turn called for the convention at Philadelphia in 1787 which made the Constitution. Madison wrote to Washington on December 9, 1785: "It (the call to Annapolis) seems naturally to grow out of the appointment of commissioners for Virginia and Maryland concerted at Mt. Vernon for keeping up harmony in the commercial relation of the two states." As this led to the calling of the convention that made our Constitution, it is clear that it was in Washington's home that the movement started that ended in .the making and adoption of the Contitution of our present form of government. Washington knew that under the Articles of Condederation the United States was not a real union but a very loose confederation of states whose congress had no right to tax its citizens or to levy duties on imparts form foreign nations. These were the powers of the states. Massacusetts and Virginia and some other states had their custom houses and officers to collect imparts, but Congress had none. Rhode Island and New Yorkand others levied import duties on trade with the other states and their neighbors. Rhode Island gained so much from taxing the goods imported from her n~ighbors that the latter called her Rogue's Island. Great Britain's merchants had shops in Boston, New York. and Philadelphia because Congress could levy no import duties. As the Articles of Confederation could be changed only by unanimous consent. there was no hope of Congress ever getting the powers needed to pay its debts or protect themselves from importation from foreign powers. This fact became incresingly clear to all observant men of the times. but there wen three l1;1en who more than all others worked unceasngly to consent, there was no hope of Congress ever getting the powers needed to pay its debts or protect themselves from importations from foreign powers. This fact became increasingly clear to all observant men of the times, but there were three men who more than all others worked unceasingly to have the Articles of Con-
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federation supersedep by a Constitution adequate to the needs of the government. These were George Washington, James Mad sion, and Alexander Hamilton.
Washington's desire for a better government than that permitted under the Articles of Confederation 'was very great. He had suffered so keenly from this fact while at Valley Forge- afltl. elsewhere at other times because the Congress could not provide for the needs of the government, and he was so well aware how great were the prejudices and conflicting interests of the various colonies that he worked might and main for a better form of government: The following wise' words written by him ex~ preSs his sentiments:' "There are four things which I humbly
conceive are essential to the well-being, I might even venture to
say to the existence, of the United States as an independent power. First, an indissoluble union or states under one federal head. Second, a sacred regard to public justice (that is, th.e payment of debts). Thirdly, the adoption of a proper peace establisment (that cis an ariny 'arid a navy. (Fourthly, the prevalence of that pacific and friendly disposition among the people of the United'which influence them to forget their loca) prejudices and policies; to make those mutual conessions which are requisite to the general prosperity; and in some instances sacrifice their individual ,advantages to the'interest ofthecom-' munity. These are 'the pilla~s on which the glorious futurl:, of our independency and national charcter must be supported." These are what he sought to obtain by a convention that could make a new constitution. These -words of Washington. prove his greatness as a statenian. He rea'lly was as great as a stateman as a soldier and achieved as much by his leadership- in peace as he did as general-in-chief: of the army that won the Revolvtionary War.' He was fully entitled to the words of Light Horse Harty delivered in Congress after his death: He was first among us, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen,

CHAPTER II

THE FOUNDING OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES

.. IN 1765 the British parliament passed an act which re-
quired government stamps to be affixed to all legal doccuments executed in the American colonies. The Americans took the view that taxation and representation should go hand in hand.
apd because the colonies had no representative in Parliament opposed the collection of the tax by use of stamps on all legal documents. Riots occurred in Savannah, Georgia, June 12.
t.766. On the invitation of Massachusetts to the thirteen colonies, Jo send delegates to New York City to form a congress
(or protesting against the Stamp Act. delegates from nine of the colonies met there October 7, 1765, and were in session to Qctober 25. 1765. This is known as the Stamp Act Congress.
Jjhey qrewup a petition to the King, recited the rights. privill~ges and grievances of the colonies. but recognized the authority of'the Parliament. Its acts were supported by the legislature
Glf several colonies and by the Sons of Liberty in them all. The
Stamp Act was repealed by Parliament under the leadership ot William Pitt in February, 1766.

disguiOsend,'

December as Indians

16, 1773, a number boarded three ships

of citizens of Boston bearing cargoes of tea

and threw 350 chests of tea into the harbor at Boston. In

di'der to punish the people of Boston for this destruction of tea,

the British Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill which was

signed by the' King March, 1774. It provided for the closure

of the' Boston Harbor to commerce, and removed the seat of

government of Massachusetts from Boston to Marblehead as a

port of entry until the people of Boston should indemnify the

owners' of the property destroyed. This aroused widespread

indignation. and June 1 was widely observed as a day of fast-

ing and prayer throughout the colonies.

Ten years controversy (1764-1774) with Great Britain about the collection of taxes led the thirteen colonies to present a united front against her. Great Britain passed her Boston Port Bill, whiCh destroyed the commerce of Boston. The King sent some war vessels to Boston under General Thomas Gage, Whom he made Governor of Massachusetts. The other colonies passed resolutions of sympathy for Boston and sent her supplies, while the war vessels enforced the English tax laws. The other colonies petitioned Massachusetts to name a time and place for a Congress of the colonies. This led to the First Continental Congress. The congresses previous to this are called Colonial Congress; that is, all except the Stamp
Act Congress. (6)

Delegates from twelve of the colonies ass~mbled in

Philadelphia, 5th of Septmber, 1774. All colonies sent dele-

gates there except Georgia.. They met first in Carpenter's Hall.

George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Payton

Randolph were delegates from Virginia. Roger Sherman was

a delegate from Connecticut. Peyton Randolph was elected

presldent. Patrick Henry in a speech declared: "No longer 1

am a Virginan, I am an American." It was decided that eac.h

coL L { should hav one vote. '1 hey appointed a committee on

the Declaration of Rights, two from each colony. John Adal11~

drew up the resolutions ending with the assertion: "Exclud-

ing every idea of taxation, internal or external, for raising

revenue on the subjects in America without their consent?"

Thus in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia in 1774 at the meet-

ing of delegates from twelve colonies there was born the spirit

of the united colonies who were to become the United States of

America. This was really the cradle of our liberty. This Con-

gress continued only a few days in Carpenter's Hall, when they

moved their sessions to what is now Independence Hall. Th~y

first passed a non-importation agreement which was signed by

all the delegates and provided committee of vigilance in every

town and county in the colonies to enforce first Continental Congress "First expressed

its provisions. the sovereign

wiTllhoisf

a free nation in America", said John Adams. It dissolved on

the 26th day of October, 1774, and provided for another Con-

gress on the 10th of May, 1775.

What was called the American Assocation was formed. It was composed of members of the Continental Congress and was formed after it had adopted on October 20, 1774, a "non importation, non-consumption agreement applied to Great Britain, Ireland and the West Indies and Madeira, by which th~ inhabtants of all the colonies were bound to act in good faith under the penalty of the displeasure of those who were faithful. It was embodied in fourteen articles and went into effect on tl1e first day of the next December ensuing. Committees were to be
appointed in every county, city, and town to enforce compliante with the terms of the Association. The several articles of the Association were adopted unanimously except the one concerning exporations. South Carolina objected, insisting that ricc be exempted from the requirement concerning exporation. When the articles were adopted all but two of the South
Carolina delegates seceded. The seceders were brought back to the Hall and, after a compromise was agreed to, signed with the
other.

Short letters were addressed to Georgia and the two Floriclas asking them to join the Association. V arious mea~ ures Were taken in the various colonies for enforcing observance

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of agreements entered into by members of the American Association. In this way it became a great auxiliary to the Continental Congress in unifying the support of the people to its measure.
List of the members of the First Continental Congress New Hampshire-John Sullivan, Nathaniel Folson Massachusetts-Thomas Cushing, Samuel Adams, John Adams. Robert Treat Paine Rhode Island-Stephen Hopkins, Samuel Ward Connecticut-Eliphalet Dyer, Roger Sherman, Silas Deane New York-Issac Low, John Alsop, John Jay, James Doune, William Foyd, Henry Wisner, Simon Boerum, Phiip Livingston, John Haring New Jersey-James Kinsey, Wiiam Livinston, Stephen Crane. Richard Smith. John De Hart Pennsyvania-Joseph Galloway, John Dicknson, Charles Humphreys, Thomas Miffin, Edward Bidde, John Morton, George Ross, Samue Ghoads Deaware-Ceasar Rodney, Thomas McKean, George Read Maryland-Robert Goldsborough, Mathew Tighman, Thomas Johnson, Wiiam Paca. Samue Chase Virginia-Peyton Randoph, Richard Henry Lee, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Richard Band, Benjamin Harrison, Edmund Pendleton North Carolina-William Hooper, Joseph Haes, Richard Caswell South Carolina-Henry Middeton, Thomas Lynch, Chirstopher Gadsen. John Rutledge, Edward Rutledge
When the second Congress assembled on 10th of May. 1775, the conflicts with British soldiers at Lexington and Concord had taken place, and the troops belonging to Vermont had captured the forts of Ticoneroga and Crown Point, Congress adopted the troops beseiging Boston as their army, and made a code of rules for their government. John Adams at once declared himself in favor of George Wahington, sitting among them as a delegate from Virginia, as their Commande~ in-Chief. On June 15, the election of Washington took place. It was unanimous. He left at once for Boston.
The legislatures of most of the colonies, finding themselves in the state of actual war with Great Britain, authorized their delegates at the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the Mother Country. The first colony to give sanction to the actual separation was North Carolina, whose legislature passed the resolution April 17, 1776. The last colony to so instruct its delegates was Virginia, which passed its resolution on May 15, 1776. Richard Henry Lee, thus instructed by his state, on June 7, moved a resolution in the Continental Con-
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gress that "These United Colonies are and of a right ought to be free and independent states". John Adams of Massachusetts seconded the resolution. As Lee for some reason had to be absent for a few days just at this time. he was not appointed on the committee to draft the resolution embodying his motion. Thomas Jefferson was appointed in his stead and named a! Chairman. John Adams. Benjamin Franklin. Roger Sherman. and Robert R. Livingston were the other members. To Thomas Jefferson was committed the actual writing of the paper. which was done in a room in his boarding house in Philadelphia. On July 2, Congress adopted the resolution which had been introduced by Richard Henry Lee on June 7. declaring our independence, and on July 4, adopted the Declaration of Independence. It was voted for unanimously and all the delegates signed it. When all had signed it. Benjamin Franklin stated: "If we do not hang together, we may hang separate-
ly". It is a fact that the British governrrient proscribed as
traitors the signers and their families and offered a reward of 500 pounds for the arrest and delivery to them of the those who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Immediately after appointing a committee to draft the Declaration of Independence, the Congress appointed a committee to draft a constitution to be called the Article of Confederation. They were first drafted by John Dickinson of Delaware and adopted by Congress in 1777. Under its terms each of the thirteen states was allowed to regulate its internal affairs. and none of them could make treaties with foreign powers without the consent of the rest. None of the states were permitted to make alliances among themselves. nor maintain a standing army or navy. All expenses of war should be paid out of the treasury of Congress. Congress alone had the power to coin money. The Article could be changed only by unanimous consent. The Article of Confederation were ratified by eleven states in 1778. Delaware in 1779, and Maryland March 1781. They were then enforced and remained in force until the Constitution was adopted in 1789.

CHAPTER III
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
As the Article of Confederation gave the Congress no .authority to provide money, it could only requisition the states who often ignored calls. In the Congress of 1783 Alexander Hamilton prepared a series of resolutions setting forth the defects of the Article of Confederation and recommending the calling of a convention to remedy them, but could not get sufficient support from his fellow members, and so never introduced them.
. The Congress under the Article of Confederation had no
power of taxation and no control of commerce. Virginia and Maryland, whose delegates met at Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, March, 1785, tried to make a code for the regulation of commerce between themselves, but failed. This fact induced the legislature of Virginia to pass a resolution in January, 1786, to be sent to the other states inviting them to send deputies to a convention to be held at Annapolis, Maryland, for the purpose of considering "how far a uniform system of taxation in their c,ommercial intercourse might be necessary to their common interest and perpetual harmony."
Four states did not elect delegates. They were Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolnia, and Georgia. All the other states elected dele,gates but only five states had delegates at Annapolis when the convention assembled on September II, 1786. These were Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Those present adopted an address written by Alexander Hamilton setting forth that the states appoint delegates to meet in Philadelphia on the second Monday in May next, to make provisions that would render the Constitution of the federal government adequate to meet the exgencies of the Union. The suggestion was followed by all the states but Rhode Island. Thus the Constitutional Convention assembled at Philadelphia in May, 1787. There were in it representatives from twelve states. It unanimously elected George Washington as its president, and continued in session till September, 1787. There were fifty-five members and it was in session about four months. It meetings were secret, the doors being kept. It did not open with prayer. One day when the members were apparently hopelessly divided, Benjamin Franklin, the oldest member, then 81 years old, moved that a prayer be made daily at the opening of the convention. This motion was seconded by Roger Sherman, the next oldest, then 66 years, but the motion was never put by the president and thus was never acted on.
In this convention of 1787 there were many men illustrious for their splendid charcters and great service to the country.
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The most eminent among them was George Washington. tQfi 54 years old. He had won the Revolutionary which had ended six years before. Virginia sent also James Madison, Edmund Randolph, George Mason and Geoge Wythe, all very able meij. Pennsylvania sent Franklin Robert and Governor Morris and James Wilson. Masschusetts sent Rufus King, Elbridge Gerry. and Caleb Strong. Connecticut sent William S. Johnson. Roger Sherman, and Oliver Ellsworth. New York sent Alexander Hamilton. New Jersey sent William Patterson. South Carolnia sent the two Pinckneys and John Rutledge.
;
James Wilson. represetning Pennsylvania. was a man of unusual ability and character. He was born in Scotland and came to Amercia in 1763 when he was twenty one years old, making his home in Philadelphia. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1775-1777. 1782-1783. 1785-1781. He was a lawyer. and when in 1789 the United States government was established under the Constitution. George Washington appointed him a Justice of the Supreme Court, a post he held till his death in 1798.

Two of the delegates from South Carolina at the cObvention were the Pinckneys. from the same family but riOt brothers. Charles C01esworth Pinckney. as Madison's not5 prove, was a frequent debater during the convention. He intro" duced the clause in the Constitution forbidding religious tests as a qualification for holding office in the United States government. He had been aide-de-camp to Washington at the battlt'S of Brandywine and Germantown. In 1796 President Wash ington sent him as minister to France. While on the mission it was intimated to him that peace might be granted to the United States in return for a money payment. He made the reply. "Millions for defense. but not one cent for tribute."

John Ruthledge was also a delegate from South Carolina.

He too ton. S.

cw.a.s

a in

man of extraordinary ability. 1739 he began the practice of

Born in law there

Charlesin 1761.

He was a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress in 1765 and to

the Continental Congress in 1774-1777 and 1782-1783, chair-

man of the committee which framed the constitution of South

Carolina in 1776 and the was appointed associate justice of th"

United States Supreme Court serving 1789-1791 and became

Chief Justice of the Supreme 0:ourt of South Carolina 1791-

1795.

James McHenry, a delegate from Maryland. had been dis-
tinguished by his service in the Revolutionary War. He was born in Ireland in 1753 and settled in Philadelphia in 1771. He joined the army under Washington in 1776 and became secretary to General Washington, served on Lafayette's staff

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f!8 r, became a senator of Maryland 1781-I},86, a member
4l(, Congress 1783-1786. He was Secretary or War 1796 to; .I 80 I. Fort McH:cnry. was named for him.
.. The most picturesque member was Benjamin Franklin, who1two years before had returned from Europe where his word as diplomat and his writing and experimen.ts as a scientist had made him verydistinguishedarrd well known. to aU intelligent people in Europe and America, Degress had been conferred C9n him. by various universities. He was so feeble that his speeches were lead by his colleague, James Wilson, Some of those present had been members of one or more of the Continntal Congresses. Among these. weTe John Dickinson, who v, as the framer of the Article of Confederation, passed in 1777 t Alexander Hamilton, who because of his important work in calling the convention and in making the provisions of the Constitution, was later often called the Father of the Constitution. Though only thirty years old, he was distinguished as a soldier, orator, writer, and lawyer. He, with Madison and Wilson, were the foremost advocates of a strong national government to be provided by the Constitution. Roger Sherman had doiiesuch great services that he was recognized among the leaders. Samuel Johnson and Oliver Ellsworth also of Connecticut were also eminent men, as was James Madison. whose ,'.'notes" made daily of the procedings are now our best means of determining what was in the minds of the members when passing the measures composing the Constitution. Roger Sherman, who had served longer than any other mem" ber on the Continental Congress, had the latter part of his service there been impressed with the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. He had even prepared amendments to these article, as a manuscript found among his papers show_ Gcverneur Morris. as Madison's "Notes" prove; was one of the most frequent speadkers in the convention. and because of his great learning. especially in law and history, and his eloquent speech and manners, his influence in the convention was very great. When the debates were all concluded and all resolutions as to the contents of the constitution had been passed, Governeur Morris was made chairman of the committee whose duty it was to put the constitution in its final form. Thus the exact words of the constitution are often those of Governeur Morris.
He was only thirty-five years old at the time of the wnventilon. Born in New York of most aristocratic lineage, he had graduated at King's College (New Columbia University) and entered the bar in New York. He was a member of New York's convention that made its first constitution
in 1776, and served on the committee which wrote that paper.
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He had served tn the Continental Congress of 1777. and 1779, and. was enthusiastic in the support of Washington; He settled in Philadelphia in 1779 as a lawyer. Fro:m /81 to 1789 he became assistant to Robert Morris (not related to him), the superintendent of finance for the Congress. In 1782 he made an elaborate report on the coinage. suggesting the use of the decimal system and of the terms, dollar and cent. He was largely responsible for giving the President the right to veto the laws made by Congress, and gave able support
to the .cause of a strong central govrnment. the Nationalists.. and was an extreme anti-slavery advocate.

It is interesting to note that Governeur Morris moved

back to New York to live in late 1787. He was appointed

Minister to France by Washington in 1792. and was a United

States Senator from New Yark, as a Federalist from 1800 to

1803. It is interesting also to record that Roger Sherman

who was there in the Senate of the United States voted against

Governeur Morris being confirmed as minister to France be-

cause he was not a believer in the Christian religion. He was

a cynic both in religion and Government, his views on the

latter being extremely in favor of the aristocrates. He was

born in the old Manor house of Morrisiana, now a part of

New York City. and having bought it from his brother. he

lived in it till hiS death in 1~ 16.

.

Dr. William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut was one of the very great men of the convention. His father was the first president of King's College (now Columbia University). He was educated at Yale and Harvard. and practiced law in Connecticut and New York. From 1784 to 1787 he was a member of the Continental Congress. He became the first president of Columbia College. In 1789 he was made th.: first senator of the United States from Connecticut, but In 1793 resigned to devote greater time to the college. In 1800 he retired to his home. which was also his birthplace. in Stratford. Connecticut.

Oliver Ellsworth, also of Connecticut. was one of the very great men in the convention. He was educated at Yale and Princeton. He, with Roger Sherman, proposed the Connecticut Compromise in the convention providing for the establishment of the House of Representative and the Senate. He became United States Senator from Connecticut from 1789 to 1796. and was looked upon as the personal spokesman of Washington while he was president. He drew up the bill which organized system of federal courts. In 1796 Washington appointed him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee had been elected
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delegates from Virginia, but having no sympathy with the purposes of the Convention, they refused to attend it and tried to defeat the ratification of the Constitution by Virginia. John Adams was in London as Minister to England and Thomas Jeff~son was in 'Paris as minister to France. Samuel A.dams remained in Boston. John Hancock was then governc>r of Massachusetts. The members of the Constitution",! convention who had played great roles in the Continental Congress were only James Wilson of Pennsylvania, and Oliver Ellsworth and Roger Sherman of Connecticut.
The members were mainly young men. Hamilton was thirty; Madison, thirty-six; Edmund Randolph, who early presented the resolutions conveying the virginia plan. was thirty~four; Patterson of New Jersey was forty-two; Goverrteur Morris was thirty-five: Oliver Ellsworth was forty-two.
Those who led the fight for a National Union. a $tfong central government, wer.e Madison, James of Pennsylvania, and Rufus King of Massachusetts. Those who stood for state rights were William Patterson of New Jersey and Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut. It was, however. Sherman, Ellsworth, and Johnson of Connecticut that led tlw opposition to the National Union espoused by the Virginians, especially Madison and Randolph. The Virginians would practically erasc the stat.e lines. The Connecticut members would preserve them. The differences were so .great that the debates would often be bitter. Fortunately, the spirit of compromise saved the convention from disrupting. The battle raged intensely over the composition of Congress and how its branches should be elected. Finally Sherman (says Madison's Notes) "proposed that the portion of suffrage in the first branch should be according to the number of free inhabitants: and that in the second branch or Senate. each state should haVoe one vote and nor more". Subsequently the convention amended his proposal. by giving each state two senators instead of one, thus providing for the equality of states in the upper chamber, and amended the representation in the lower house so as to include three-fifths of all other persons: that is, negro slaves. The adopted of this "Connecticut Compromisc" made it possible to complete the making of the Constitution.
Next to Washington. James Madison may be said to have been the most conspicu,ous member. He sat directly before the dais on which Washington sat as president of the tonvention. There he made notes of everything said and done. He did not face Washington, but the other members. He says of himself, "In this favorable position for hearing all that
passed, i notedin terms legible and in abbreviations and marks
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intelligible to myself what was Tead from the chair OT spoken by the members; and. losing not a moment unnecessarily between the adjournment and the reassembling of the convention. 1 was able to write out my daily notes during the session or within a few nnishing days after its close. in the extent and in the form preserved in my own hand. 1 was not absent a single oay, or more than a casual fraction of an hour on any day. s~ that I cannot have lost a single speech unless a very shott onc". Thus Madison's "Notes", published only after his death. be<:ome our best interpreters of the meaning of the Contitution;
The great struggle in the Convention was between the "Nationalists" who favored a strong central governments, and the "Confederates" who favored the lodgement of the greatest powers in the states. Madison. Wilson, Hamilton, and Governeur Morris were among the leaders of the Nationalists. Patterson. Lansing, and Martin were the leaders of the Confederates. Those who did most to effect a compromise between the opposing views were Sherman. Eusworth, and Franklin. The bitterest an most prolonged controversy during the convention was over the rule by which members of the Congresses should vote, the rule of suffrage. Roger Sherman proposed that the proportion of votes in the larger branch, or House of Representatives. of Congress should be according to the number of free inhabitants in the states. and that in the second or smaller branch. or Senate, each state should have one vote and no more. This plan was substantially that finally adopted. The representation of the House was finally made to be determined by the whole number of free inhabitants and threefifths of the slaves. In the Senate each state was to have two representatives. So great was the influence of Roger Sherman and his compatriots from Connecticut in securing the passage of this compromise that it became known as the CO!1nectiCut Plan. Madison's "Notes" show that Roger Sherman was powerful in his influence in the passgae of other parts of the Constitution. the method of electing the president. tbe clause as to slavery. the admission of new states. the method of making amendments to the Constitution. the currency. and the tariff.
The Constitutional Covention closed its work on September 17, having been in session nearly four months. All the members present that day signed it except Randolph of Virginia. George Mason of Virginia. and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts.
An admirable short story of the events leading to the making of the Constitution is found in Bulletin No.7. issued by tbe city of Philadelphia and distributed by Independence Hall. It is as follows:-
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"The first Constitution of the United States was the Articles of Confederation.
"On the same day on which the Continental Congress. then meeting iii.. Independence Hall, appointed a committee to frame a Declaration of Independence. it appointed another to prepare the Article of Confederation. This Committee soon reported a scheme; but it was not until November 5. 1777. that Congress adopted the "Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union" . These articles provided for a singlc~ chamber Congress with limited powers over war, peace, foreign affairs, coinage. and postal arrangements; it could raise money only by requisitions upon the states. In it each State had but one vote. Nine votes were necessary for the most impprtant acts. Ratification by every state was necessary and this was
not secured until March 1. 178l.
"The Articles then went into operation. They were defective in that they left too much power to the states and left Congress entirely dependent upon them for money and enforcenent of its decrees. and the Articles could not be amended save by consent of every state. After vain efforts to secure such consent of amendments which would at least have enabled the Government to pay its debts, it became obvious that more drastic alterations were necessary. According the Annapolis Convention of 1786, which called Contvention that made the Constitution. which met in Independence Hall. and the Articles of Confederation were superseded by the Constitution.
The Federal Convention conducted its sessions in Independence Ha'll behind looked doors, and an injunction of strict secrecy was put upon everyone. The first meeting was called to order on May 14. 1787. and the Convention remained in session un til September 17, 1787. What was said and done in this secret conIave was not revealed until 50 years had passed and the aged James Madison, the last of the survivors of those who sat there. had passed away. He kept a journal of the proceedings which was published after his death.
"The Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation in that it dealt directly with individuals. it invested the Federal Government with coercive powers, but it provided an efficient executive it was susceptible to amendment by easier means than unanimous consent. Since it went into effect in 1789, it has been developed by amendment. by interpretation and by custom. Courts, especially the Supreme Court, have developed it by interpreatation. Under Chief Justice Marshall the court greatly enlarged the powers of the Government in this way. In fact, it is said we have a written Constitution plus an unwritten Constitution. After the final action by the Convention the Constitution was formally drafted by Gov-
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erneur Morris and those member who were present and who approved, advtanced by states and affixed their signatures to the instrument.
"The Convention was mainly divided as to whether in the Government one states's influence should be equal to that of any other state, or should be based on population. The plans for a Constitution. submitted by Edmund Randolph. of Virginia, and William Patterson. of New Jersey, were diametrically opposed in this respect. The former favored representation according to population in both houses. the latter an equal vote for each state and only one house. Johnson. or Connecti.cut, proposed a3 a compromise two Houses and equal representation in the Senate and a proportionate one in the Hou.se. Ellsworth formally moved that this be adopted, and the first compromise was effected after considerable debate.
"The second was in regard to the regulation of commerce by Congress. It was proposed to tax both exports and imports at the discretion of Congress. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney declared that North Carolina would not enter the Union if exports were to be taxed since nearly the whole of her wealth lay in one article of export-rice. Hence it was decided that "no tax or duty shall be laid by the legislature on articles exported from any state." and on these terms the Federal control over commerce was conseded.
"Georgia. North Carolina and South Carolina refused to enter the Union if the slave traffic was to be prohbited; so the third compromise effected that Congress should not prohibit the slave trade until 1808. and that a fugitive slave law should be provided."
Now that one hundred and fifty years of sucessful admillistation of our government under the Constitution have proved the wisdom of those who framed it, it seems remarkable that some of the very greatest and most patroiotic men of the time opposed its ratification. Among those were Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee and George Mason of Virginia. It came near to failing of adopted in Massachusetts where it passed the convention with a majority of only nineteen votes out of three hundred and fiftycfive present. Even in Virginia where George Washington exerted his utmost influence in its behalf it passed the convention by a majority on only ten votes. In New York thereat first a majority of two to one against it in the convention. but the genius and oratory of Alexander Hamilton were able to secure on the final ballot a majority of three in favor of ratification of the Constitution. In time all the states adopted it. and the third and last step in the formation of OUI government was completed. These three steps were th adop-
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Hon of tne' Dedarati<;>n of Independena in 1776. tne adoption of tn Articles of Confederation by Congress in 1777. and the making of the Constitution of the United States in 1787 and its adoption by all the state in J 788-1 789. It should be noted that Roger Snerman of Connecticut. and he alone. was present and had a part in: tne making of all three of these paper. and thus he alone signed all tnree of them.
Tne makers of the Constitution made express provision for its being amended to suit the changing needs and desir~s of the people. Articles V provides that whenever two-thirds of the legislatures of the states desire- it can be changed. They wisned tne Constitution to be responsive to the public will. Accordingly, when it was observ'cd that it omitted to state "the rights and privileges of free men-freedom of speech, freesom of fhe press. of assembly, of religion. of petition, immunity from unlawful sizure. trail by jury. security of life. person. and property. and other basic rights" which its makers had assumed al agreed to, the people determined to express them in amendments to be passed immediately after the adoption of the .constitution. North Carolina legislature adopted a resolution in which it declared its purpose not to ratify the Constitution t1,ntil it incorporated a "Bill of Right". In order to satisfy .this widespread demand of the people-. the first ten amendments were passed. They were intr<;lduced in the Senate by James Madison on June 8. 1789. about three months after the first Congress had assembled. They passed the House ~nd the Senate in their present form September 25. In nine months they became a part of the Constitution. Thus in about a year after the United States Government was organized. ten amendments were added to the Constitution.
Since the ten articles of the "Bill of Rights" were passed, elevn other amendments have been passed. They have usually been ratified in a few months after being proposed to the states by the House and Senate. Article XI was ratified in eleven months; Article XII in nine months; Article XIII in ten
xvn months; Article XIV in tWo years; Article XV in thirteen
months; Article XVI in three and one half years; Article in a year; Article XVIII in thirteen months; Article XIX in fourteen months; Article XX in eleven months ;Artide XXI in less than a year. The amendment was passed as the repeal of prohibition of the manufacture of alcoholic breveages provided for by the XVIII the amendment. These facts show that the Constitution is as it was meant to be, responsive to the will of the people.
The benefits that flowed to the people by the adoption uf the Constitution were soon mainifest. The government
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was organIzed under 'it In New York City where on ~ 'baltorf~ iof Federal Hall early in 1789 George Washington took the <oath of office 'as the first president. By 1.791 the economij: distressw.hi~h had been in all thirteen states sin~e 1776 gave way to a very prosperous era. American ships hegan. .sailing all the seas. The New England ships .came to be one of the world's greatest 1leets. The South was sending its 'tobacco, rice, and talmn into all tbe world. The Eastern and Middle States built manufacturing establishments whose gQods found ready sale at home 'and .abroad.
Th~rnas Jdferson wrote to ~ friend 'in Par'is:' 'In 'general
our affairs are proceeding in a train of unp~ral1eled prosperity., 'This arises from theimprQlvements of our g0vernment, from the unbounded confience reposed in ,it by the people, their zeal to support it, and theirconvi:etion that a solid union is the best rock of their saftey, from the favorable seasons whkh f@rsome years in the past have :cooperated with ~ fertile soil and a gen" eral climate to increase the production of agriculture, and form the growth of industry and ewnomy and domestic manufac~ 'tures: so that I believe I may say with truth that there is not a nation under the sun enjoying a more present prosperity, not with more in preospect."
The "Commerce" of the Constitution had given thepow~ er to levy taxes on imports that enable Alexander Hamilton of Washington's Cabinet to erect our great financial system, American bonds sold above par. Gold and Silver money was coined :and bills of credit, paper money, were emitted in the neW system of money, dollars and cents. Great Br,itain sent a ministr to the United States. In 1792 Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina became our first minister to London and ex' ,changes of ministers were made with other fore.ign powers., The United States was admitted into all desired international relations. Apiece of paper expressing the desires of its foltnd' ers, the Constitution of the United States of America. had transformed a congeries of irresponsible colonies into a great nation, an indissoluble union of indestructible states. The men who made and signed this great document whose wisdom has been tested by the events of one hundred and fity years were :as follows:-
George Washington President and Deputy ftom Virginia New Hampshire John Langdon, Nicholas Gilman Massachusetts Nathariel Garman, Rufus King Connecticut William Samuel Johnson, Roger Sherman
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New York

Alexander Hamilton

New Jersey

William Livifigston. William Patterson, David Brearley,.

Jonathan Dayton

Pennsylvania

Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Mifflin Robert Morris, George'

Clymer, Thomas Fitzgerald, Jared Ingersoll, James Wilson,

Gouv. Morris

De1a:war~

George Read. Gunning Bedford, Jr., John Dickenson r Rich-

ard Bassett, Jace. Broom

Maryland

James McHenry, Dan: of St. Thomas Jerrifer, Daniel Carroll

Virginia

John Bair, James MarlisoIl. Jr..

North Carolina

William Blount. Richard Dobbs Spaight. Hu Williamson

South Carolina

J. Ruthledge, Charles Coteswork Puickney r Charles Puick--

ney. Pierce Butler

Georgia

William Few, Abraham Baldwin

Attest:

William Jackson. Secretary

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ROGER SHERMAN. A NEGLECCTED FOUNDER
(Derived mainly from Boutell's Life of Roger Sherman)
ROGER SHERMAN is a name almost unknown to the general public in the United States of today. Yet in the formation of the United States which was done by the Con tinental Congress that began in Philadelphia in 1774, lasted throughout the Revolutionary War. passed the Declaration of Independence and the Article of Confederation. and fought the War of the Revolution. Roger Sherman had rendered longer and greater service than any other man except George Washington who far surpassed him. He also took a leading place in the making of the Constitution of the United States. There were only three others who nearly equaled him in the found ing and the establishing of our government. These were John Adams. Patrick Henry, and James Madison. He certainly was Dne of the five who did most for the founding and the establishment of our great government. The other four, Washington, Adams. Patrick Henry, and James Madison, are known and honored by every intelligent man now living in the United States, but there are few who know the vast services or even the name of Roger Sherman. This being true. he may be appropriately called our neglected founder.
The great men who served with him theContinental Congresses, which declared our independence of Great Britain, carried on ton its sucessful finish the Revolutionary War, and gave us our present from of government by framing our Constitution, the co-workers with Roger Sherman from 1774 to 1787 . all declared that he was among the very greatest among them. The following quotations prove this statement to be true:
John Adams, who was in the first Continental Congress when it neld its first meeting in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, September. 1774. wrote to his wife. in a letter dated March 16, 1777: "Roger Sherman, that old Puritan, is as honest as an angel and as firm as the Rock of Gibralter in the cause of American Independence." John Adams in his old age in 1822 (he died in 1826) wrote of Roger Sherman: "Destitute of all literary and scientific education but such as he had acquired by this own exertions. he was one of the most sensible men in the world. He was one of the sturdiest and strongest pillars of the Revolution."
Patrick Henry. who was a member of the first Continental Congress said: "The first men in that body were Washington, Richard Henry Lee. and Roger Sherman." He
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J[SO said: "Roger Shermarr and' George Masorr were the~ greatest statesmen I ever knew."
WilIam Pierce of -Georgia:. thus describes Roger Sherman: "Mr. Sherman exhibits. the. oddest shaped character 1. ever re-. member to have met with. He is unaccountably strange in his manner. But in his train of thinking there is: something regular, deep., and comprehensive; yet the oddity of his" address, the vulgarisms that accompany his public- speaking, and that strange New England cant that runs through his public. as well as his private speaking makes everything that is connected with him grotesque. and. laughable; and yet deserves infinite praise-no man has a better heart or clearer head. If he cannot embellish, he can furnish thoughts that are wise and useful. He is an. able politician. and extremely artful in accomplishing any particular object. It is remarked that he seldom fails."
Thomas Jefferson, perhaps the greatest of our presidents .. the author of the Declaration of Independence, but not a member of the. Constitutional Convention in 1787. being at that time in France, in his old age in 1822, wrote of Roger Sherman: "I served with him in the oLd Congress in~ the years, 177 5 and 177 6. He was' a very able and logical debater in that body" steaay in: the principles of the .rev:olution, always ac his post of. duty, much employed in the business of committees, and particularly was of the committee of Dr. Franklin, Mr. John Adams, Mr. Livingston. and myself for preparing the Declaration of Independence. Being very much my semor in years. QU& inte.recurses were chiefly in. the line of duties. L had very great respect for him.:'
George. Banl>roft, in his Plea for the Constitutio.n says:. "'the Master Builders of the Constitution were Roger Sherman, George. Washington, Charles Colesworth Pinckney, Jam.es' Madison. and Alexander Ha.milton..' , Thus the great historian of the Constitution. names Roger Sherman first in the f.ist of its; frOlmers.
me. Roger Sherman is only name that appears in all three
@f the basic. documnets that made our government what it is: namely, the Declaration of Independence, 1776, the Articles of Confederation of 1777r and the Constitution of the United 5.tates in 1787. He was a member of the Continental Congress for eight years, was present at its first meeting in 1774. was on the wmmittelt that drafed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and served in the Convention that framed the Constitution in 1787.
From the beginning of our government under its Constitution in 1789 to his death in 1795 he Was a member of its
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Congress, in the House of Representatives tor his nrst two years, and for the next two till his death, a Senator. These four years cf service in Congress were those in which" the policies of our government in all things were first made into statutes of law. The proceedings of the Congress indicate clearly that in the debates leading to tbe passage of these early laws, Roger Sherman's views were those very often adoptcd.
It is remarkable that the great achievements of Roger Sher' man, who had none of the gitts of oratory, were accomplished by reason of his ability as a speaker and debater. His style of speaking is thus described by John Adams in his diary .of September 15. 1.7.7 5.: "Sherman's air is the absence of grace., there cannot be a marc striking contrast to beautiful action than the motion of his hands. General! y he stands upright with his hands before him, the fingers of his left hand denching into a fist, and the wrist of it grasped with his right. He has a clear head and sound judgement, but when he moves a hand in anything like action, Hogarth's genius could not have invented a motion more opposite to grace; it is stiffness and awkwardness itself, rigid as starched linen or buckram, awk ward as a junior bachelor or sophomore." It was a saymg in New Heaven where he spoke often that bis gesture was like that of a shoemaker when he draws a thread while sewing lather. This comparison was no doubt due to the wed known fact that he was a shcemaker by trade-a trade which he followed until he studied law and began its practice in New Heaven. Yet this awkward, self-educated man who spent his early manhood as a shoemaker had such wisdom such character that he became one of the great legislatures in the history of his coun' try, and was surpassed by only one man in the contribution he made to the forming and establishment of the government which we justly believe is the greatest and best in all the world. The one man who did more was Washington.
The Sherman famiy came from England. Samuel She!" man settled in Weathersfield, Connecticut in 1650. 'He was the ancestor of General W. T. Sherman and Senator John Sherman. Samuel's brother, John Sherman, settled at Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, and was the ancestor of Roger Sherman, whose father was William Sherman of Stoughton, Massachusetts, and whose mother was Mehatbel Wellington. Her grandfather .also came from England. Shortly after his marriage, William Sherman moved to Newton, Massachusetts, where he supported his family by the shoemaker's. trade. His children were William, Mehtabe1, Roger; Elizabeth) Natartiel, Josiah. and Rebecca.
Roger Sherman was born in Newton, Massachusetts,
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April r9. 1721, and lived there till he was twenty-two years
of age. From his father he learned the trade of a shoemaker and worked on the farm owned by his father. He attended the common country schools. He. however. formed habits of study and made himself proficient in' history and elmenetary mathematics. He was accustomed to sit at his work as shoe- maker with an open book before him, and devoted all the time; he could spare. from his work to the study of books. many of which he borrowed from his pastor.
His fa~her, WilJiam Sherman died in 174 i when 49 years.
old. Roger. then twenty years old, had the care of settling
his estate. The family :moved in 174 r to New Milford.
Connecticut. where Roger worked at his trade. and held the office of country surveyor. He made investments in land. He aso carried on the business of a general country merchant with his brother William, who died in 1750 when forty years of age. He made the astromomical calculations for Ames' Almance, containing the eclipses, etc. In May, 1755 he became Justice of the Peace for Litchfield county and a member of the county court. In 1755 he was chosen to represent New Milford in the General Assembly and was reelected to that office semi-annually till he moved to New Heaven in 1761. He was 34 years of age when he entered the legislature. He spent eighteen years at New Milford. rising from the humblest position to th highest in the gift of the people. His business prospered and he helped his b'rothers in their course through college. He was forty years old when he moved to New Heaven, June 20, 1761. It was to be his home tiII his death. In New Haven he spent several years of successful business in trade and as a country merchant. He imported books needed by the professors and students at Yale College. He retired from business, which he turned over to his son William, He after that devoted himself to the practice of law and to the public service. He took an active part in all matters relating to the church. His pastor from 1769 to death was Jonathan Edwards the younger. The city of New Haven was incorporated in 1764~ Roger Sherman was elected its first mayor and under a singular provision of the law was to hold the office until removed by the General Assembly. He continued to be. mayor of New Haven as long as he lived.
In 1764 he was appointed Judy of the Superior Court. and was annually reappointed for twenty-three years, resigning it to take a seat in the Congress of. the United States in 1789. The law forbade his holding both offices at the same time.
Roger Sherman married twice. - His first wife was
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Elizabeth Hartwell ,of Stouhton whom he married in 1741. Seven children were born to this union. The three oldest sons
were officers in the Revolutionary War. Two of the sons. William and Issac. were' ed~cated at Yale, both graduating in 1777. His first wife died at New Milford. October 10. 1160. when thirty-four years old. He married his second wife May 2. 1763. She was Rebecca Prescott of Danvers, Massa.chusttes. by whom he had eight children, all but one of whom grew to maturity. She Was descended from John Prescott of Massachusetts and from Judy William Prescott and William H. Prescott. the Historian.
Des'eended hom Roger .and Rebecca Prescott was William M. Evarts. who was Attorney General of the United States, .and United States Senator from New York. Also descended from Roger Sherman and Rebecca Prescott were Samuel Hoare and his sons, Edenezer Rockwool Hoare and George Frisbie Hoare. all three of whom represented Massachusetts in Congress and performed eminent services for their country. George Frisbie Hoare was a member of the United States House of rerresentatives from 1869 to 1877. and from 1877 to his death in 1904 was in the United States Senate. thus serving 35 years contin uousl y in Congress.
Roger Sherman began his service in the legislature of Connecticut in the midst of the excit~ment caused by the news that the British Ministry intended to collect taxes from the colonies by requiring stamps on all legal documents by means of the Stamp Act. which received the King's signature on 22nd of March, 1765. Delegates from nine colonies met in the City Hall of New York. the Stamp Act Congress. made an addres.; ",. protect to the King and a Petition to Parliament. The people organized as the Sons of Liberty in all the colonies, an organ,zation determined to prevent the Stamp Act from being enforced. On the 18th of March. 1766, the King signed rhe law for the repeal of the Stamp Act, but in June. 1/67, Parliament passed a bill for raising revenue from the colonies by imposing a tax on glass. paper. painter's colors. and tea. This new tax was opposed by a non-importation agreement among the colonies. This led Parliament to repeal the tax on all the articles except tea. The colonies opposed this as preserving the principle of taxation without representation, When in June, 1772. the Gaspee. an armed schooner in the revenue service of England. ran aground while chasing an American vessel in Narragansett Bay. it was boarded by a party of men who burned the vessel to the water's edge. In 1773 the British Government made a final effort to collect the tax on tea. The colonists determined that no tea should be landed and intimidated the consigness of tea in Charleston;Phila-
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delphia, and New . York to resigning their commISSIons. In Boston, a party of men, disguised as Indians, boarded the ships bearing tea which they. threw overboard. In order to punish the colonies for this the Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill. closing Boston as a port.
In 1774 Roger Sherman was app":;} t?d bv th0 en' I,r . cut legislature on a committee to consider claims of the settlers on the Susquahannah. His claim for Connecticut to a portion of the lands that lay in the North \Vest Territory led to Connecticut's finally obtaining about five and one-half million acres, now in the present limits of Ohio, called the Connecticut Reserve. From this Connecticut obtained two million dollars, which was devoted to public schools.
In 1774 Connceticut elected Roger Sherman, Oliver Ellsworth, and William Samuel Johnson to represent her in the first Continental Congress called to meet in Philadelphia for the purpose of considering what could be done in the interest of the colonies who were sympathizing with Boston whose rort had been closed. The delegates from all the colonies except Georgia assembled in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia September 5, 1774, moving in a few weeks to Independence Hall. The Congress organized by the elected of Peyton Randolph of Virginia as its president.
Roger Sherman was' appointed On all important committees of the Congress. On the 12th of June, 1776, a committee of men from each colony as appointed to draft the: Articles of Confederation. Roger Sherman was put on it. The articles were debated from time to time, and finally passed in 1777, as the basic law or Constitution. When the method of the voting in the Congress was discussed, the delegates from the larger states insisted that representation should be according to population or wealth. This was the view of John Adams from Massachusetts and of Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania. The view of Roger Sherman was according to the diary of John Adams *"Sherman thinks that we ought not to vote according to numbers; we are representatives of states not individuals. The consent of everyone is necessary. Three colonies (if we vote by numbers) would govern the whole, but would not have a majority of strength to carry the votes into execution. The vote should be taken in two ways. Call the colonies and call the individuals and have a majority of both."
Elven years later when the Constitution was being framed, Roger Sherman suggested this plan as the compromise. that the voting should be, in the Senate in which every state had one representative to each 30,000 of its population. It
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* Works Vol. 11. page 499

became known as the Connecticut Plan and was substanially that finally adopted.

He was elected annually to the Continental Congresses

from September 1774 to November 1781. Again elected in

October 13. 1783, for another year. Thus he s~rved in the

Continental Congresses eight years.

'

In May, 1783. he was appointed with Richard Law by the General Assembly of Connecticut to revise the Statute laws of the state. The work was completed and laid before the General Assembly in October. 1783.

From November 1784 to May 1787 he lived in comparative repose, his duties as judge of the Superior Court. and as a mayor of New Haven being all his service rendered to the public during that time.

In May 1787 he became a member of the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia and was one of its most influential members. As Madison's Notes show, he was a frequent debater. and that speeches were made by him on almost every subject being discussed. He was an ardent advocate of giving great powers to the states, but in order to get a Constitution that would pass the convention and be adopted the colonies. he supported many resolutions that required him to compromise. He did much to secure the ratification of the Consttution in the New England states.

When our present form of government was organized, George Washington was unanimously elected by the members of our first Congress as our first president. Roger Sherman was a member. He had been chosen by the Connecticut Assemby in January. 1789, to be a representative in Congress. In order to accept this office. he resigned the judgeship of the Superior Court of Connecticut, which he had hed by annual election for twenty-three years. He served Congress in the House of Representatives for one term, two years, and then began his service as United States Sentor,a position he held till his death. which occurred on the 23rd day of July, 1793, at his residence in New Haven when he was seventy-two years old.
Roger Sherman was gifted with an excellent mind and a sense of justice that won for him the confidence of his fellow citizens, and enabled him to become one of the greatest legislators in the history of our country. The author believes that in length of service and in importance of service in securing our inaependence from Great Britain and in making our government what it is, he was surpassed only by George Washington.

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Roger Sherman is described by Dr. Jonathan Edwards, his pastor at New Haven, as follow: "His person was tall, unusally erect and well proportioned, and his countenance agreeable and manly. He had fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair." Judge Jeremiah Smith said of him: "It was a great treat to hear him converse." However in large companies he was obviously embarrassed and when he spoke it was done slowly and hesitatingly. His biographer, Lewis Henry Bontell, says of him: "Rising from the humblest rank to the highest by his own unaided efforts, in every upward step, keeping his head clear and his heart pure, wearing his honors meekly, and using them only for the public good,
with a mind ever receptive of the truth, loving justice and
resolute in maintaning it, over-throwing error with remorseless logic, yet ever tolerant of weakness and error in other; he renered to his country the highest service in the most perilous hours -and left to his countrymen a shining example of that priceless truth that "The path of duty is the way to glory."