 |
| Gouverneur Morris |
Most Americans don't recognize the name, Gouverneur Morris.
They should. Morris is often called the Penman of the Constitution. He took a
jumbled mess from the Committee of Detail and crafted the eloquent Constitution
we know today. As a preeminent Founder and Framer, he did more than wordsmith
the Construction. Among other things, he spoke at the Constitutional Convention more than any other delegate
(173 times).
He had a lot to say, and most of it remains relevant today.
Here is a snippet from James Madison’s convention notes dated
Thursday, August 9, 1787:
Mr. GOVr. MORRIS. The lesson we are taught is that we should be governed as much by our reason, and as little by our feelings as possible. What is the language of Reason on this subject? That we should not be polite at the expence of prudence … as every Society from a great nation down to a club had the right of declaring the conditions on which new members should be admitted, there could be no room for complaint. As to those philosophical gentlemen, those Citizens of the World as they call themselves, He owned he did not wish to see any of them in our public Councils. He would not trust them. The men who can shake off their attachments to their own Country can never love any other. These attachments are the wholesome prejudices which uphold all Governments …”In a few words, Morris cautioned against being governed by feelings, spoke against political correctness, agued that a nation had the right to determine who became citizens, and explained why he distrusted “Citizens of the World.”
