A More Perfect Union: December 2008 - March 2009
For more than two hundred years, the Capitol has been the place where representatives of the American people have debated how best to achieve the nation’s ideals. This exhibit displays some of our most important documents, drawn primarily from the collections of the Library of Congress and the National Archives, to illustrate the role of Congress in defining and helping to realize national goals and aspirations.
The aspirations of unity, freedom, common defense, general welfare, knowledge, and exploration all derive from the Constitution. The Preamble declares that the highest goals of the government are “to form a more perfect Union,” and to provide for “common defense,” “general Welfare,” and the “Blessings of Liberty.” Article I gives Congress the power to promote “Science and useful Arts,” which has resulted in congressional support of knowledge and exploration. The meaning of liberty is further defined in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee specific freedoms.
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Drafting the Bill of Rights - 1
The first Congress wrote the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Known as the Bill of Rights, they are part of the bedrock of our national government. The amendments guarantee citizens’ individual rights and liberties. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention had disagreed over the wisdom of naming such rights within the Constitution, but members of the First Congress, fresh from the struggle against monarchy, insisted on limiting the powers of a central government within a republic.
Abolishing Slavery - 2
The issue of slavery was not directly addressed by the authors of the Constitution, but quickly proved to be the most divisive one Congress faced. Petitions against slavery were received as early as the First Congress. As settlers moved west, the question of slavery in the territories periodically dominated Congressional debate. At the close of the Civil War, Congress passed an amendment to abolish slavery, which was quickly ratified by the states.
Extending the Vote to Women
Begun in the mid-19th century, the women’s suffrage movement was eclipsed by the Civil War. When the Fifteenth Amendment ensured all citizens the right to vote regardless of race, it was not interpreted to include women. Suffrage leaders intensified their lobbying efforts on Congress. The Nineteenth Amendment, granting franchise to women, passed in 1919, with ratification completed in 1920.