“Conventions of nine States” [FN1] had to ratify the Constitution. Congress, in its record of the receipt of the draft constitution, recommended ratification procedure and transmittal letter [FN2] makes no mention of “God” or “Jesus Christ.” [FN3] Some chant “original intent,” i.e., 1/6

we must construe The Constitution based on the “subjective intention of the drafters or ratifiers of an authoritative text.” [FN4] The “drafters” were the 55 delegates to the Convention. [FN5] The “ratifiers” were the delegates to the States’ conventions, who added no text. [FN6] 2/6

Some States left few or no records of their proceedings. [FN7] Proceedings & debates of some states are more extensive and “useful” to glean what the states “intended to grant to the gen’l gov’t” [FN8] One State refused to ratify The Constitution. In North Carolina’s first 3/6

convention, delegates voted “down.” The next installment will continue to discuss the State conventions. 4/6

Footnotes: FN1. Art. VII. FN2. Labunski, “James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights,” 2006, p. 16. FN3. Elliott’s Debates, vol. 1, pp. 318-319. FN4. Black’s Law Dictionary, 10th ed., 2014, p. 931. 5/6

FN5. Constitution Center, “The Day the Constitution was Ratified,” 06/21/23. FN6. Labuski, pp. 16-17. FN7. Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire. FN8. Elliott’s Debates, vol. 1, p iv, 2d ed., 1830. 6/6