Williamsport High School - Guneukitschik Yearbook (Williamsport, MD)

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US CONSTITUTION

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200th ANNIVERSARY OF THE A Constitution is a fundamental system of law, written or unwritten, accepted as a guide for governing a state or country. It sets up the basis for government, fixing limitations and defines the type of government of which the state or country will abide by. The United States Constitution is a written document that functions as the supreme law of the land. It was drafted by the Constitutional Convention of May 25-September 17, 1787. The nation’s leaders met in Philadel- phia at that time to salvage a floundering government and create order out of chaos. Their work resulted in a document that shook the world with its promise of a more perfect union — The Constitution of the United States. The site of the first Constitutional Convention was Independence Hall, built from 1732 to 1756. The delegates met in the assembly room on the first floor. On September 12, 1787, the convention concluded the works of writing the Constitution and gave the completed draft to a committee on style to polish the language. The notable literary quality of the Constitution, an unusual feature in documents of state is due principally to the pen of Governor Morris. On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates signed the Constitution. 12 states were represented by 55 delegates, Rhode Island, the “stubbord state” did not cooperate. Some of the men present at the convention were James Madison, George Mason, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, Roger Sherman, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. The convention adjourned on September 28, 1787 and the Constitution was sent to the states for ratification. The official ratification was June 21, 1788. In March, 1789, the Constitution became the official law of the land. The Articles of Confederation, established in 1781, was the first federal Constitution of the United States. It created a stepping stone to the constitution as we know it, giving a basis of framework to the document. As a re- sult of certain controversies and disappointments, a new constitution was drafted. Most issues concerning the Constitution were resolved in great compromises. The Constitution has never been changed or rewritten with the exception of the 26 amendments. This includes the illustrious Bill of Rights. The most important amendment being the first, giving freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion. The Constitution provides for distributed as well as limited powers to its government officials. On May 22-25,1987, a series of “We the People” special events took place. A star-studded concert was held en- titled “1787 Festival”. Congress convened in a special session in Philadelphia for the first time since 1800. The historical session took place on the date of the Great Compromise, July 6, 1987. Today, the original constitution is on permanent display at the National Archives building in Washington D.C. The permanent display was damaged on October 10th when a man wielding a hammer smashed the top layer of glass, protecting the documents in an airtight bronze and marble case. The documents were immediately lowered into a 50-ton-steel vault 25 ft. under the public diaplay and was not damaged. The Constitution of the United States marks a part of history in which ambitious Americans fought and struggled to create an everlasting and compatable form of government that gave the American people, rights and liberties that would exist forever. 4 Constitution Below: James Madison is considered the “Father of the Constitution”.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY I Williamsport began as a hamlet in the early part of the 18th century and known by various names. Washington seems to have been one of the names according to the Court Records in a deed from Thomas Baell to Otho Holland Williams, dated March 26, 1785. The town at that time was called William’s Port, thus named until an act of the General Assembly of Maryland, in session, April 1786, assigned the name Williams Port, dropping the apostophe. The city is 200 years old this year and is said to have begun around late 1786-early 1787. In 1823, the Assembly changed the name to Williamsport. It is the second oldest city in the county. Williamsport is picturesquely located at the confluence of Conocochea- gue (meaning very long) Creek and the Potomac River (meaning among the black walnuts) River. The Town is known for the grandeur of the surrounding scenery, the fields, the nearby mountains, especially in Autumn and its many colors. Previously an effort had been made to establish the na- tion’s Capitol at William’s Port. The matter was considered seriously by President Washington, who was met by patriotic townspeople with bonfires and celebrations upon visiting the Town to look into its advantages of a capital in this area. A petition was signed and presented to the President. He arrived on the evening of October 14, 1791. Every house was brilliantly lit with bonfires at every corner. He stayed that night at Springfield Farm with Otho Williams and his brother, Elie Williams, the farm’s owner at the time.