The first 10 amendments to the u. S. Constitution were ratified in 1791. More than four years after the constitution was drafted in philadelphia. Next, scholar linda monk discusses the ratification debate over the new constitution and the states demand for a bill of rights. The North Carolina museum of history hosted this event. This is about an hour. Good afternoon. I serve as the state archivist for North Carolina. On behalf of the sponsors for the program today, i want to welcome you cured tomorrow is the 225th ratification of the bill of rights. We thought there was no better way to celebrate the importance of the document than having the original copy out for a rare public display. The bill of rights is perhaps the guest treasure in the collections of the state archives, not just for what it represents, but because after eight 140 year absence, the document was returned to North Carolina things to the hard work of many federal and state Law Enforcement officers and lawyers, some of us some of whom may be in the audience today. I would like to recognize deputy general blum. Before introduce our speaker today, i would like to expend my deepest thanks to the museum of history for the continued partnership. Dont forget, immediately following the program today, the speaker will have her book available for sale in the gift shop and you can have your copy signed. Now it is my distinct honor to introduce todays speaker. Linda monk is an awardwinning author, journalist and constitutional scholar. A graduate of harvard law school, she has twice won the silver gavel award, the highest honor for Public Education about the law. She has been a visiting scholar at the National Constitution center in philadelphia. She speaks frequently on legal and historical topics for groups such as the smithsonian, National Archives and the pentagon. Her book, the words we live by, was selected by the chief of staff for the air force for his reading list for all personnel. You can find her on the internet. To hear how North Carolina saved our constitution, please join me in welcoming linda monk. [applause] ms. Monk it is such a pleasure to be here in such an honor on this auspicious occasion. I would like to start my presentation by dedicating it to my North Carolina ancestors. On my mothers side, richard trevelyan. He got married in salisbury. He served in the revolutionary war and ended up in spanish territory in mississippi, which is where my main family comes from. On my fair fathers side, john monk. He was from what would become weak county wake county. Im here with my proud lineage and ready to talk to you about a topic i have devoted my entire life two, our constitution and will of rights. When i first talked to sarah about this occasion probably almost two years ago, that is the kind of lead time you have to work with, she wasnt sure if we can get the copy of the bill of rights out in time. The North Carolina copy has been through a hard life. She will tell you more about that. When i was at the National Constitution center, i was following along with the mystery of how they were going to get it back, what the Constitution Center could do to help retain it. When i got here earlier, i went over to that copy that you will get to see in a bit, and spent some personal time with the bill of rights. You dont get to do this in d. C. The copy they have is in a vault, at a distance. When you see this one, it is up close and personal. It does something for my heart, and i know you as fellow north carolinians are proud. Since i come from the southern storytelling tradition and we know this means we tell the truth, we always tell the truth, just maybe the big truth. The little truths, we will catch up on those. Some people, particularly those from other states, are going to say, what do you mean how North Carolina saved the constitution . They will take exception. Im going to lay out my argument to you in a little bit, just the summary, and then im going to go point by point. I hope the end you will agree with me. If you dont, come see the bill of rights copy anyway. North carolina was the only state that when the constitution was drafted, you know it goes to the states to be ratified or approved, and at that time there were 13 states in the union. North carolina is the only one that has a Ratification Convention, those were specially elected, it has the Ratification Convention and turns the constitution down. They say no. They were the state that said no. How does that mean that they saved the constitution . My premise that i will support with other kinds of documents is that if North Carolina had not said no, we would not have gotten the whole bill of rights added to the constitution that helped everybody say yes. My thesis is, whenever you have a naysayer in the group, listen first. They may help you with a solution to your problem. Here is my thesis. You know that when the constitution was drafted in philadelphia in 1787, it took four months, hot, sweaty summer full of black flies, they kept the windows closed, wool suits, no airconditioning, a long, hot summer. So you say, how, the framers forgot the bill of rights . Well, there are lots of reasons for that i will get to later, but the reality was that that becomes the biggest stumbling block. The question of the Ratification Convention becomes, here are the states trying to approve it, and they are saying, we want this bill of rights but you are telling us we need to go ahead in approve this constitution anyway without a bill of rights, and we should trust congress to do it first thing when they get there . There were a lot of naysayers who did not believe it, but North Carolina said no. Finally, when the bill of rights is completed, passed by congress, two thirds vote and goes to the states for ratification again, then North Carolina ratifies both at the same time. A promise kept, it sealed the deal. That was on november 21. Let us look back a little bit. How did North Carolina get to the estate where no was accountable thing to say . We have a long tradition, dont we . We have a long tradition of people who may be started out in virginia and felt they would have problems with the virginia authorities. We have a long tradition of what some people would call rabblerousers purity rabblerousers. I live in new bern right now, so i have been a witness to some of these things that got these early naysayers riled up, which was tryons palace. People were saying, these easterners are in cresting increasing our taxes to build these sumptuous residences. That led to the Regulator Movement, with six people are heading hanged in hillsboro. Rumor this, when North Carolina has the convention to ratify the constitution the first time, where is it held . Hillsboro. Can you imagine, there might be some people, maybe relatives of the people who had been hanged just 17 years before, or who knew about the troubles . Remember that when we are getting to the ratification. One of the people involved in the Regulator Movement was a man named mr. Martin. Mr. Martin, he was beaten. He becomes a delicate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Lets look at some or these naysayers. My favorite, the eating 10 edenton tea party. This was a cartoon making fun of them. These welltodo ladies had money at their disposal, in england this cartoon appears and you can see what happened to the children when the women got politically active. There was a lechery going on. These are politically active women. One english wag says the only security on our site is the probability that there are but a few places in america which possess so much female i really appreciate your female artillery during the revolutionary war. [laughter] and you have the first officially designated resolution to encourage independence. The first day to declare independence is virginia. North carolina gave them a little shove and virginia did not want to be behind North Carolina. They declared independence in june, and philadelphia is when the United Colonies declare independence. Lets look at what our constitution was before our current constitution, during this revolutionary time. People tend to forget that the constitution we live under today was our second constitution. That means when the framers talk about a more perfect union, they are talking about one that in many peoples minds had already failed. It is important to remember that. One of the things we say about the constitution when we talk about a more perfect union, we are saying up front that we failed. We are country that says, all right, failed, now what do we do . Lets look back at the articles of confederation. A lot of people at the time and not think it was a failure. It was under the form of government that these 13 United States defeated the most powerful military in the face of the planet. Lets look at some of their strengths. They defeated britain. They passed ordinances on how states would be governed. At that time, no slavery. And also religious freedom. Constitution had some major achievements. There was the league of friendship, nobody was really giving up much of anything. I like to think of them like a big family here it is virginia says, i want to have a big navy. I want to receive the first ambassador, no, i want to receive the first ambassador. One of the main things, remember you have the army that is not getting paid essentially. The government has no power to tax, they can make a request to the states, please will you help pay for our army . The states are kind of like day they are reluctant to contribute. When you leave your soldiers unpaid for too long, what happens . They will rebel. For those of you familiar with shays rebellion, it was in western massachusetts right before the Constitutional Convention. These soldiers have been unpaid for years, and in fact what happened was that their script, the ious were being sold on a speculative market that they might get a penny on a dollar right now for something that Congress Might pay who knows when. One of my good friends has discovered that Abigail Adams was speculating in those promissory notes. She did not want it to get out, but there was a whole market where these veterans were not being paid and their farms were being foreclosed on. Who was foreclosing on the farms . The merchants and bankers. If it sounds like im antibanker, i am antiveterans antiveteransbeingunpaid. The people in boston who didnt who tended to have these notes, it was kind of like North Carolina with there was a division between the eastern part of the state in the western part of the state. People in the frontier portion were more poor. The people in the cities had more money. One person would say they have the money to invest and another would say they had the money to speculate. When the veterans go unpaid, they would lose their farms. The veterans seized the courthouse in western massachusetts and said, wait a minute, were not going to have given our lives and fortunes and honor for our country just to be repossessed and our families be thrown out. Eventually what happened is that the rebellion was put down, and i say rebellion just as a fact, not as a judgment. This is a time when the constitution, excuse me, the articles of confederation was being questioned. We have George Washington saying at the time, we have triumphed over our enemies to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves. Washington at the head of the army, at that time he is retired, but he was in mount vernon and he certainly understood more than anybody, england is not going to go away. They are just up in canada. They have the most powerful military. After the revolution, when George Washington laid down his commission, he did not just get to go off to disney world. He is aware that everything he worked for is contingent. We think about him as being our great leader, i think this is his greatest role. He puts down his military power and is involved in creating our constitution. Washington becomes the president. I told you what a miserable summer it was. We talk about what was at stake at the Constitutional Convention, this is what were talking about. Im hoping you all can read. We the people, do ordain phew. [laughter] we know it. The first few words, we know, we the people of the United States. Some people say this isnt that big a deal. The reason they did not list all of the states is because they did not knew who was going to ratify it. For those of you are a fan of richard burr kaiser, he believes that the United States, that was the true import of the constitution, but it goes from the people of the states to the people of a nation. As you can imagine, there were plenty of fights over that at the time. Patrick henry says, we the people, what do you mean . It should be we the states. James madison is saying, no, we have this National Federal government has a National Component in a state component. And the people who wind up being so supportive of this new National Government were the people who fought in the continental line and could not get paid. John marshall who becomes our great chief justice and upholds these national powers, he served with washington and he saw what it was like to try and keep an army together with congress refused to pay the soldiers. At the end of the Constitutional Convention, youve probably heard the story. How many of you of had a chance to go to what we call Independence Hall in philadelphia . This kind of looks familiar to you. You see the group there. That is George Washington, who was that . Who knows . It is supposed to be the North Carolina delegate. Here is the famous rising sun chair. Have you heard that story . Good, a lot of people have not. Now i can be the first. At the end of the convention, four months, everybody is hot, tired, they are already said there is not going to be a bill of rights unanimously. As the delegates are going to sign the document, according to James Madison, dr. Franklin, very old and did not really speak at the convention, he came his gave his speeches to james wilson to read. Dr. Franklin remarks how hard it was for artists to depict in their paintings whether a sun was rising or setting. He said often during the convention, i have looked and there is a sun on the back of George Washingtons chair, and i have wondered if it was rising or setting. As the document is being signed, he remarked, i know now at last it is indeed a rising and not a setting sun. Great story. And now what happens . What happens to the constitution . Imgine today, ok, we have colin powell, ex president s, they are meeting in secret, and they are supposed to be amending our current constitution, but we have heard maybe they are doing more than. Do you think when that four months is over and they come out, that the light is just ascending from heaven on them for the American Public . No, there is disagreement. And the constitution goes back to the confederation congress. It is not like the constitution to suddenly went into effect. Congress had a decision to make. They couldve settled but they decided to send it to the states without any recommendations. Under the terms of the constitution, there were specially chosen conventions, not the state legislature. Remember the state legislatures are not going like a constitution that limits their powers. There specially elected and they consider these constitutions. It sparks a Great National debate. Lets see what some of our people have to say about it. Thomas jefferson is concerned. Where is jefferson when the constitution is being written . He is in france, good, you got that right. So many people are like, it was jefferson and adams no. Find the Founding Fathers is one of my favorite games. Where were they when these were done . Jefferson is in france. Heres what he yes to say to James Madison. Remember, they are close friends, they are neighbors. Madison jefferson is trying to convince madison, he says a bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, and what no just government should refuse or rest on inference. Hes anticipating the arguments that are going to come out from the federalists who say you dont need a bill of rights and jefferson is saying you have to have a bill of rights. Madison is always practical. He will eventually dropped the bill of rights. He says repeated violations of these parchment barriers have been committed by overbearing majorities in every state. He has a ring seat to the tyranny against the baptists who are persecuting minorities in virginia, and they prominent in Orange County where he lives. He gets to see how the baptists are oppressed. They were getting oppressed by the established church, the anglican which becomes the Episcopal Church come in they they realized we dont want to give government this power one way or the other. Madison is saying it is a paper tiger and will not