Model Research Paper
Model Research Paper
ENG302B: American Literature | Unit 4 | Lesson 1: What is a Research Paper?
Model Research Paper
The Constitution: A Model of Collaborative Effort By Jeffrey Twinning Who wrote the Constitution? Was it Thomas Jefferson? No, Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence, but he did not attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787 because he was in France serving as the American minister to that country. Was it George Washington? No, he was president of the convention but used his influence to maintain peace between the arguing factions rather than contributing his own ideas. Was it Benjamin Franklin? No, Franklin, the oldest delegate at age 81, contributed some of his wry wisdom to the debate but did not play a primary role in inventing the new government. Was it James Madison or Alexander Hamilton? No, these two giants were perhaps the thinkers most responsible for planning the structure of the new government and persuading the states to adopt the Constitution, but they were not its “authors” in the sense of writing the document. Instead, the Constitution was a collaboration among many people over a period of months and years, and this factor was critical in making it effective and durable. In fact, the man who put the 1787 Constitution into its written form was a delegate whom relatively few Americans today have heard of: Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania. Morris, a proponent of a strong central government, “spoke more frequently than any delegate” (Asimov 138) and contributed the idea of a decimal money system to replace the clumsy British pound system. According to a U.S. State Department website, “Morris actually ‘wrote’ the Constitution” (About America 8). Among other achievements, Morris put the Preamble into its inspiring 55-word form (Brinkley 111). However, it would be misleading to call Morris the author of the Constitution. As drafter and reviser, his task was to find clear, concise wording for the ideas
ENG302B: American Literature | Unit 4 | Lesson 1: What is a Research Paper?
Model Research Paper
The Constitution: A Model of Collaborative Effort By Jeffrey Twinning Who wrote the Constitution? Was it Thomas Jefferson? No, Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence, but he did not attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787 because he was in France serving as the American minister to that country. Was it George Washington? No, he was president of the convention but used his influence to maintain peace between the arguing factions rather than contributing his own ideas. Was it Benjamin Franklin? No, Franklin, the oldest delegate at age 81, contributed some of his wry wisdom to the debate but did not play a primary role in inventing the new government. Was it James Madison or Alexander Hamilton? No, these two giants were perhaps the thinkers most responsible for planning the structure of the new government and persuading the states to adopt the Constitution, but they were not its “authors” in the sense of writing the document. Instead, the Constitution was a collaboration among many people over a period of months and years, and this factor was critical in making it effective and durable. In fact, the man who put the 1787 Constitution into its written form was a delegate whom relatively few Americans today have heard of: Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania. Morris, a proponent of a strong central government, “spoke more frequently than any delegate” (Asimov 138) and contributed the idea of a decimal money system to replace the clumsy British pound system. According to a U.S. State Department website, “Morris actually ‘wrote’ the Constitution” (About America 8). Among other achievements, Morris put the Preamble into its inspiring 55-word form (Brinkley 111). However, it would be misleading to call Morris the author of the Constitution. As drafter and reviser, his task was to find clear, concise wording for the ideas
Cited: About America: The Constitution of the United States of America with Explanatory Notes. Adapted from the World Book Encyclopedia 2004 ed. 29 Aug. 2008. U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs. 10 Oct. 2008 . Asimov, Isaac. The Birth of the United States, 1763–1816. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,1974. Brinkley, Douglas. American Heritage History of the United States. New York: Viking, 1998. Rakove, Jack. “James Madison and the Bill of Rights.” This Constitution: A Bicentennial Chronicle. Fall 1985. Project ’87 of the American Political Science Association and American Historical Association. 9 Oct. 2008 . Washington, George. “To Bushrod Washington.” 10 Nov. 1787. 1784–1796: Organizing the New Nation. Vol. 3 of The Annals of America. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1976. 238. © 2009 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited. Page 6 of 6