AmericanLegion 39th Oratorial Contest Mexico City, Mexico HOW IT CAME TO BE... A CONSTITUTION FOR YOU AND ME Copyright@1976, Monica Stevens

HOW IT CAME TO BE... A CONSTITUTION FOR YOU AND ME

“Father”, said I some years ago,

when I still thought of toys and dolls,

“the teacher said black men were slaves.

In ancient times they were not free.

Was all that true? All that she said?

Oh! Please, Father. Oh! Please tell me.”

“My dear”, he said, “all that was true,

and I will make a story for you.

It will explain in simple words

what you just asked and something else.”

“In ancient times there came a ship

whose name the Mayflower was.

The people in it had made the trip

to escape from oppression, misery, and crime.

“For many years by the English they were ruled,

until their patriotism for a free nation claimed.

And a man named Patrick Henry gave them the tools

by stating: ‘Give me Liberty or Give me Death.!’

“Some fought for their ideals and died,

but some were able to survive and see

their nation and the people free

from the British tyranny.

“But now the country was so poor

that of criminals and outlaws

the number in the country grew.

“And the people in the country

to be desperate began,

they were deprived of their money,

or even of their tracts of land.

“Men began to think of something

that would set them free from this,

and here begins the clue to open

the secret of their liberty.

“And one day in the year of 1787,

Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and others

had a great idea and gathered all together

to discuss a grave and deep new problem.

“How to write a Constitution

comprising their duties and their rights?

They arrived at a conclusion:

They would work for days and nights

and submit it to discussion

until they were sure were right

all the privileges and duties for  the people of this land.

“Finally, they called and congregated

representatives of all the states,

and out of this meeting originated

the Constitution of the United States.

“It established that a Congress

composed of Senate and of House

could impeach any of its members

for misdemeanors and high crimes.

“And to ratify a treaty or make corrections,

two thirds of the Senate should agree,

this was done to impede that any section

would sacrifice another. Do you see?”

“But what about what I just asked you:

About the salve and all that:

You mentioned a Constitution.

Does it deal with what I asked?”

“It does indeed,” Father replied.

"as without a Constitution no great country would be in sight."

"Since the country was divided, there was slavery in the South.

Slaves raised cotton for their masters who wouldn’t teach them how to read and write.

"These poor men worked hard all morning and they sometimes did at night.

They were paid for this no money.

Do you think, dear, this was right?

“On the other hand, the Northerners worked as hard, but by themselves.

They had factories and wanted

to force the South to free the slaves.

“But the South would not agree

and without asking permission

they decided to secede,

fighting hard for their position.

“So, there came the Civil War in which many lives were lost,

many families destroyed, and the South suffered the most.

“Thus, President Lincoln, thinking of the nation, tried to end the Civil War.

He issued the Emancipation Proclamation to give the liberators something to stand for.

“It did not immediately free all men,

yet it enforced the purpose of the war,

as it made Union armies fight to end human bondage to be no more.

“For this, and many other things, we gratefully remember President Lincoln,

and offering a tribute to him, British “Punch” published in one of its editions:

‘Yes, he had lived to shame me from my sneer,

to lame my pencil and confute my pen,

to make me own this kind of princes’ peer,

this railsplitter, a true born prince of men.’[

“But as freedom for everybody should forever stand, and in order to support this decision,

three new amendments that their rights would grant joined the Constitution supporting this position.

“Amendment Thirteen, which was added to bestow

protection and justice to any former slave,

states that no one can make another live in wow,

by abusing of a supposedly superior race.

“Besides the addition of Amendment Thirteen,

two other amendments about former salves there were.

Granting them citizenship was Amendment Fourteen,

And for Negro Suffrage, Amendment Fifteen was there.

“In 1791, ten Amendments had been added.

They were referred to as the Bill of Rights.

They had various themes and granted our promised privileges were not all liees.

“The first one spoke of liberty of religion,of opinion, of press, of assembly, and speech.

It states that no law shall back up the prohibition of the free exercise of each of these.

“Amendment Two granted the right to bear arms,

and this right must never be infringed,

so that if we are menaced by some harm, we can defend our people or our things.

“All these, and many other rights, give shape to what we call ‘Our Freedom’,

and we must maintain them in their full height in order to be really worthy of this freedom.

“So, now, my daughter, listen carefully

in order to you to fully appreciate all these men who strived to be free,

and leave a Constitution for you and me.

“It’s the means to reach your goals,

to perform your best ambitions,

it’s the faith to feed your soul,

and to keep on with your mission.

“It’s the pillar of the justice

on which all of us rely.

It’s the light found in the darkness

of the ignorance of our minds.

“And now, let’s see if you understand

what all this means for your land.

“What can you give a country

that so hazardously strives

for freedom, justice, equality, and preservation of rights?

What would be a most fair retribution?”

And I answered with a sigh:

“Now I know!...  A Constitution,

for which I’d be proud to die!”