The Electoral College 1789 Papers - The Precursors

The Electoral College 1789 Papers - The PrecursorsOf all the materials the Electoral College 1789 Papers are worth looking at and studying. They give us a glimpse into how the Constitutional Convention was held and the members that attended were selected. We have already learned that George Washington did not attend because he was sick and on medication, and was probably too ill to even travel.Of course many great intellects like Ben Franklin did not attend because he was a member of the Convention and therefore could not vote on the matter himself, he had to take his advice from the elected members. We also now know that George Mason did not take a seat in the Convention with the intention of voting on the issue; he did so because he did not wish to be a traitor to his country and he had been a loyal citizen throughout his life.This article is an attempt to provide an amazing historical perspective on this election. These papers will show us that George Washington did not want to si t in judgment of the members and those who represented them and that Mason was not just another voter.One of the first papers given by the Committee of Detail is entitled the Speech of John Jay, and these papers will provide valuable insight into the process of composing the Constitution and why Jay did not sit on the first committee. The Declaration of Independence has been described as Jay's 'bitter sweet' and that's because it contains a number of quotes taken directly from the life of George Washington. Those quotes showed Washington as a man of great courage and of great integrity and to take such verses directly from Washington's life was something that did not sit well with Jay.It was because Jay disagreed with Washington that he was removed from the committee. It is also worth noting that Jay disagreed with Benjamin Franklin who had been on the committee and he criticized Franklin for not having risen to Washington's level; the quote that seems to indicate that Jay should no t have been on the committee is:'Benjamin Franklin is in the arena, but I must not be preceded to the battle.' Benjamin Franklin and James Madison were two of the original members of the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation and both were prominent participants in the Constitutional Convention. Both men served on the Committee of Detail and it is safe to say that neither of them would have allowed Jay to be on the committee if they were alive today.In addition to this, we have some quotes from James Madison, and George Washington's daughter, and James Monroe and Daniel Webster, all of whom were living members of the convention. There is also a quote from James Madison showing that he was never going to sit on the committee because he thought that he was there to represent Washington. He stated:'It may therefore be concluded, from the rules of the legislature, that the Senators of this State, as from other States, have no right to be joined with the Representatives of th is State in a Constitutional Assembly; since they were not appointed by it.' At this point in time James Madison was not a member of the Committee of Detail and therefore could not vote on the matter, however he would have had to sit on the Committee of the Whole had he been able to cast a vote.