These guys had four months to come up with a solution to the problems of a nation that was broke, losing status overseas right and left, plagued by self-serving officials, and whose people had lost all faith.
Four months. Fifty-five people, of whom only a handful were even in their sixties. Starting from scratch. Debating, arguing, compromising on lesser points but NEVER on the principles.
And getting it right.
1787 was 226 years ago from this year of 2013.
Not only have we not been able to improve on their efforts, it's beginning to seem as though we've all forgotten that those guys knew what they were talking about.
They gave us an experiment, something never tried before in the history of mankind.
They didn't just come up with it out of the blue sky, you know.
Most of them had been doing their homework for years, and I'm not just talking about old Ben here.
They pooled what they all knew, put it all together, and gifted us with a form of government which, when properly administrated, is the best system ever.
They didn't just know their history, either. They knew people.
If you do YOUR homework you'll find out that they figured certain situations would come up, and included provisions for dealing with them. Those answers are right there in the Constitution of the United States, if you care to look.
Anyway, those 55 guys took FOUR MONTHS and came up with a document that turned their troubled fledgling nation right around.
Yes they had Ben, who was 81 at the time, but the rest of them?
Well.
Fourteen of them (14) were over the age of fifty. Twenty-three (23) were in their forties. Fourteen (14) were in their thirties. Four (4) were only in their twenties.
Here's a list with their ages:
It's from TeachingAmericanHistory.org
Age – 50+
Hugh Williamson (NC) — (1735 – 1819) — Age: 52
Robert Morris (PA) — (1734 – 1806) — Age: 53
George Read (DE) — (1733 – 1798) — Age: 53
John Blair (VA) — (1732 – 1800) — Age: 55
John Dickinson (DE) — (1732 – 1808) — Age: 55
George Washington (VA) — (1732 – 1799) — Age: 55
Daniel Carroll (MD) — (1730 – 1796) — Age: 57
William Samuel Johnson (CT) — (1727 – 1819) — Age: 59
George Wythe (VA) — (1726 – 1806) — Age: 61
George Mason (VA) — (1725 – 1792) — Age: 62
William Livingston (NJ) — (1723 – 1790) — Age: 63
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer (MD) — (1723 – 1790) — Age: 64
Roger Sherman (CT) — (1721 – 1793) — Age: 66
Benjamin Franklin (PA) — (1706 – 1790) — Age: 81
Robert Morris (PA) — (1734 – 1806) — Age: 53
George Read (DE) — (1733 – 1798) — Age: 53
John Blair (VA) — (1732 – 1800) — Age: 55
John Dickinson (DE) — (1732 – 1808) — Age: 55
George Washington (VA) — (1732 – 1799) — Age: 55
Daniel Carroll (MD) — (1730 – 1796) — Age: 57
William Samuel Johnson (CT) — (1727 – 1819) — Age: 59
George Wythe (VA) — (1726 – 1806) — Age: 61
George Mason (VA) — (1725 – 1792) — Age: 62
William Livingston (NJ) — (1723 – 1790) — Age: 63
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer (MD) — (1723 – 1790) — Age: 64
Roger Sherman (CT) — (1721 – 1793) — Age: 66
Benjamin Franklin (PA) — (1706 – 1790) — Age: 81
Age – 40s
Gunning Bedford, Jr. (DE) — (1747 – 1812) — Age: 40
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (SC) — (1746 – 1825) — Age: 41
William C. Houston (NJ) — (1746 – 1788) — Age: 41
James McClurg (VA) — (1746 – 1823) — Age: 41
William Paterson (NJ) — (1745 – 1806) — Age: 41
Richard Bassett (DE) — (1745 – 1815) — Age: 42
Oliver Ellsworth (CT) — (1745 – 1807) — Age: 42
David Brearly (NJ) — (1745 – 1790) — Age: 42
Caleb Strong (MA) — (1745 – 1819) — Age: 42
Pierce Butler (SC) — (1744 – 1822) — Age: 43
William Blount (NC) — (1744 – 1800) — Age: 43
Elbridge Gerry (MA) — (1744 – 1814) — Age: 43
Thomas Mifflin (PA) — (1744 – 1800) — Age: 43
James McHenry (MD) — (1743 – 1816) — Age: 44
James Wilson (PA) — (1742 – 1798) — Age: 45
John Langdon (NH) — (1741 – 1818) — Age: 46
Thomas Fitzsimons (PA) — (1741 – 1811) — Age: 46
Alexander Martin (NC) — (1740 – 1807) — Age: 47
William L. Pierce (GA) — (1740 – 1789) — Age: 47
George Clymer (PA) — (1739 – 1813) — Age: 48
John Rutledge (SC) — (1739 – 1800) — Age: 48
Nathaniel Gorham (MA) — (1738 – 1796) — Age: 49
Robert Yates (NY) — (1738 – 1801) — Age: 49
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (SC) — (1746 – 1825) — Age: 41
William C. Houston (NJ) — (1746 – 1788) — Age: 41
James McClurg (VA) — (1746 – 1823) — Age: 41
William Paterson (NJ) — (1745 – 1806) — Age: 41
Richard Bassett (DE) — (1745 – 1815) — Age: 42
Oliver Ellsworth (CT) — (1745 – 1807) — Age: 42
David Brearly (NJ) — (1745 – 1790) — Age: 42
Caleb Strong (MA) — (1745 – 1819) — Age: 42
Pierce Butler (SC) — (1744 – 1822) — Age: 43
William Blount (NC) — (1744 – 1800) — Age: 43
Elbridge Gerry (MA) — (1744 – 1814) — Age: 43
Thomas Mifflin (PA) — (1744 – 1800) — Age: 43
James McHenry (MD) — (1743 – 1816) — Age: 44
James Wilson (PA) — (1742 – 1798) — Age: 45
John Langdon (NH) — (1741 – 1818) — Age: 46
Thomas Fitzsimons (PA) — (1741 – 1811) — Age: 46
Alexander Martin (NC) — (1740 – 1807) — Age: 47
William L. Pierce (GA) — (1740 – 1789) — Age: 47
George Clymer (PA) — (1739 – 1813) — Age: 48
John Rutledge (SC) — (1739 – 1800) — Age: 48
Nathaniel Gorham (MA) — (1738 – 1796) — Age: 49
Robert Yates (NY) — (1738 – 1801) — Age: 49
Age – 30s
William R. Davie (NC) — (1756 – 1820) — Age: 30
Alexander Hamilton (NY) — (1757 – 1804) — Age: 30
Nicholas Gilman (NH) — (1755 – 1814) — Age: 32
William Houstoun (GA) — (1755 – 1813) — Age: 32
Rufus King (MA) — (1755 – 1827) — Age: 32
John Lansing, Jr. (NY) — (1754 – 1829) — Age: 32
Abraham Baldwin (GA) — (1754 – 1807) — Age: 33
Edmund J. Randolph (VA) — (1753 – 1813) — Age: 34
Gouverneur Morris (PA) — (1752 – 1816) — Age: 35
Jacob Broom (DE) — (1752 – 1810) — Age: 35
James Madison Jr. (VA) — (1751 – 1836) — Age: 36
Jared Ingersoll (PA) — (1749 – 1822) — Age: 37
William Few (GA) — (1748 – 1828) — Age: 39
Luther Martin (MD) — (1748 – 1826) — Age: 39
Alexander Hamilton (NY) — (1757 – 1804) — Age: 30
Nicholas Gilman (NH) — (1755 – 1814) — Age: 32
William Houstoun (GA) — (1755 – 1813) — Age: 32
Rufus King (MA) — (1755 – 1827) — Age: 32
John Lansing, Jr. (NY) — (1754 – 1829) — Age: 32
Abraham Baldwin (GA) — (1754 – 1807) — Age: 33
Edmund J. Randolph (VA) — (1753 – 1813) — Age: 34
Gouverneur Morris (PA) — (1752 – 1816) — Age: 35
Jacob Broom (DE) — (1752 – 1810) — Age: 35
James Madison Jr. (VA) — (1751 – 1836) — Age: 36
Jared Ingersoll (PA) — (1749 – 1822) — Age: 37
William Few (GA) — (1748 – 1828) — Age: 39
Luther Martin (MD) — (1748 – 1826) — Age: 39
Age — 20s
Jonathon Dayton (NJ) — (1760 — 1824) — Age: 26
John F. Mercer (MD) — (1759 – 1821) — Age: 28
Richard Dobbs Spaight (NC) — (1758 – 1802) — Age: 29
Charles Pinckney (SC) — (1757 – 1824) — Age: 29
John F. Mercer (MD) — (1759 – 1821) — Age: 28
Richard Dobbs Spaight (NC) — (1758 – 1802) — Age: 29
Charles Pinckney (SC) — (1757 – 1824) — Age: 29
Do we have fifty-five people among us who could spend four months to fix OUR nation?
For Pete's sake, we already HAVE THE TOOLS that they gave us.
For Pete's sake, we already HAVE THE TOOLS that they gave us.
No comments:
Post a Comment