The House Republican leadership, in an effort to show its love and respect for the Founding Fathers, began the 112th Congress with a reading of the Constitution. Some of the Representatives regard the Constitution as a sacred document, written with divine inspiration. In the reading, however, some portions were skipped. Article I, Section 2, the famous 3/5ths clause, was omitted from the reading. The Representatives also skipped over the part in Article IV, Section 2 that said “No Person held to Service or Labour in one State...escaping into another” [i.e. fugitive slaves] shall be considered free.
When Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address in 1863, he said the nation was founded “four score and seven years ago.” Twenty x four + seven = 87. Subtract that from 1863 and you get 1776. Lincoln used the Declaration of Independence as the nation’s starting date rather than the Constitution. Why? Because it’s the Declaration, not the Constitution, that says all men are created equal, and the Declaration didn’t endorse slavery.
I have great admiration and respect for most of the Founding Fathers. It is important to remember, however, that the original Constitution was a result of major compromises, it had no Bill of Rights, and it did contain a procedure for amendments. The Constitution, wonderful as it is, is not perfect. We must not censor the distasteful parts of our history or rewrite the unpleasant portions of our heritage.
A note: Democrats as well as Republicans participated in the reading. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona, was quoted in the New York Times as saying: I wanted to be here, I think it’s important. Reflecting on the Constitution in a bipartisan way is a good way to start the year.” Congresswoman Giffords read the First Amendment.
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