Now that is not long, is it? Yet in this brief part of the Constitution are contained provisions the most important for the common people ever written by the hand of man in all the history of the world. In some countries of the world people have some of the rights and privileges guaranteed by our Constitution, but in no other country in the world do the people have a written guaranty of all the rights, privileges, and liberties set forth in these short extracts from the Constitution of the United States. I want you all to get fixed in your minds the date of the adoption of the original Constitution by the convention—1787.(39) That was more than a century and a quarter ago. I want every child to understand just why the Constitution was made, how it was made, something of the men that made it, and how the people of the States approved of the Constitution before it became binding. I also want you to understand something of the changes and additions made by the people since the Constitution was first adopted. I want you to understand that it is the Constitution of the people, the whole people, and I want you to know that the people can change the Constitution or make additions to it whenever they want to.(40) So at our next meeting I am going to tell you something of the making of the Constitution. ELEMENTARY QUESTIONS 1. Compare “The Short Constitution” on pages 56-60 with the complete Constitution found at the back of the book. 2. Why were these parts selected from the entire Constitution? Is there any similarity in the various parts selected? 3. What are the most important provisions of the Constitution of the United States? 4. Do the guaranties of the Constitution protect the rights of all people living in America, or do they apply only to a few favored classes? 5. What was the date of the adoption of the original Constitution? ADVANCED QUESTIONS A. Why are we interested in our rights? B. What are the dangers of talking too much about our rights? C. Make a list of a duty to correspond with each right selected. D. Write a paper on the following: The Officials Provided by the Constitution The American Bill of Rights VIII. MAKING THE CONSTITUTION How The Convention Of 1787 Drafted The Constitution Of The United States You will remember from your study of American history that when the early colonists came to this country they settled along the Atlantic coast in many separate and distinct groups. Not all had come from the same country. Most of them were English, but there were also smaller settlements of Dutch, French, Germans, and Swedes. It was not many years until the English had taken control of all the land from Maine to Georgia, but even then not all the English were alike. There were Puritans and Cavaliers, Scotch and Irish, Scotch-Irish and Quakers. They differed in their ideas of government, religion, and education.