What was inspired? The constitution

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norgaards
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What was inspired? The constitution

Post by norgaards »

Hello,

Has anything been written or said on what was inspired in the constitution? Has been able to find a lot about the constitution, but not much about what was inspired. Any recommendations is gratefully received.

Thanks
John

lundbaek
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Re: What was inspired? The constitution

Post by lundbaek »

Search the words, spoken and written, of the men who participated in establishing the US Constitution.

“I established the Constitution of this land “by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose”

James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution, wrote: “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.” (The Federalist, no. 27)

Alexander Hamilton, famous as the originator of The Federalist papers and author of fifty-one of the essays, said: “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest.” (Essays on the Constitution of the United States)

Charles Pinckney, a very active participant and author of the Pinckney Plan during the Convention, said: “When the great work was done and published, I was struck with amazement. Nothing less that the superintending Hand of Providence, that so miraculously carried us through the war....could have brought it about so complete, upon the whole.” (Essays of the Constitution)

During his first inaugural address in 1789, President George Washington, a man who was raised up by God, said: “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more that the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.” (First Inaugural Address, 30 April 1789)

There exist records of other similar statements by men sometimes accused of being non-believers and not religious. But Norgaard's post seems to be asking which parts of the Constitution were inspired, as opposed to which parts were not inspired. I do not believe there is any record of precisely that.

Silver
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Re: What was inspired? The constitution

Post by Silver »

Would any of you consider the 3/5ths enumeration of slaves and other related clauses in the Constitution less inspiration and more compromise than those sections of our glorious standard which limit the federal government to specific duties?

You might enjoy reading this (much more at the link) with your eyes wide open: http://www.heritage.org/constitution/co ... son-19.pdf

THE CONSTITUTION ON SLAVERY AND VOTING
Unit 7
SLAVERY AND THE CONSTITUTION

Lesson Objectives:
When you complete Lesson 19, you will be able to:
• Understand that the term “slave” or “slavery” is not in the Constitution.
• Explain the purpose of the Three-fifths Clause.
• Explain how counting slaves as full persons for the purpose of representation
would benefit the South.
• Describe the limitations on Congress’s power in both the first and final drafts of
the Slave Trade Clause.
• Explain how and why the Framers took great care in constructing the language of
the Fugitive Slave Act.
• Explain the significance of the Prohibition on Amendment: Slave Trade Clause.
• Explain the meaning of the Thirteenth Amendment: Abolition of Slavery.
• Explain the significance of Section 2 of the Thirteenth Amendment.

Since America’s genesis, there has been intense debate about the existence of slavery
in American history, precisely because it raises questions about this nation’s dedication
to liberty and human equality. At the time of the American Founding, there
were about half a million slaves in the United States, mostly in the five southernmost
states where these individuals made up 40 percent of the population. Many of the
American Founders—most notably, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and
James Madison—owned slaves. However, many others—such as John Jay, Benjamin
Franklin, Benjamin Rush, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams—did not.

In its final form, the Constitution contains three key compromises on enumeration,
the slave trade, and fugitive slaves. It is important to note that the word “slave” or
“slavery” never appears in the Constitution. Indeed, the escaped slave turned abolitionist,
Frederick Douglass, once commented, “Abolish slavery tomorrow, and not
a sentence or syllable of the Constitution need be altered.” In the following lesson,
you will see why Douglass steadfastly believed that the government created by the
Constitution “was never, in its essence, anything but an anti-slavery government.”

Lesson 19
384
THE HERITAGE GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION: TEACHING COMPANION
Unit 7
Three-fifths Clause — Article I, Section 2, Clause 3
Essay by Erik M. Jensen (pp. 54–56)
The Three-fifths Clause is one of the most misunderstood clauses in the Constitution.
The clause does not deny that blacks are full persons (in fact, free blacks were
counted on par with whites for purposes of apportionment). Rather, it addresses
whether and how slaves should be counted for the purpose of determining the number
of representatives in Congress.

Though Southern slave owners asserted that slaves were held as property, Southern
delegates at the Constitutional Convention wanted slaves to count as full persons
for purposes of determining representation in Congress. Including slaves as part
of the Southern population would give the South disproportionately greater representation
in Congress and therefore more influence in forming the country’s laws.
By contrast, Northern delegates favored omitting slaves entirely when determining
representation and therefore denying Southern states the advantage in the national
legislature. The compromise allowed three-fifths of the slave population to count
toward determining representation.

However, a compromise for apportionment did not satisfy the South. To break the
Convention deadlock, Gouverneur Morris suggested tying taxes to apportionment
as a solution. While it was not in the South’s interest to count only a portion of the
slave population toward apportionment of representatives, it was in the region’s best
interest to count only a portion of the slave population towards a state’s tax liability.
Thus, even though slaves were property under the laws of the Southern states, the
Constitution itself acknowledged that they were persons. By tying both representation
and direct taxation to apportionment, the Framers removed any sectional benefit,
and thus any proslavery taint, from the special counting rule. This compromise
also protected the integrity of the census, since inflating the population numbers to
gain more seats in Congress would increase a state’s tax liability.

lundbaek
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Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: What was inspired? The constitution

Post by lundbaek »

Consider carefully what latter-day prophets have stated about the US Constitution:

This following statement was included in a letter to the United States Treasury, signed on 11 October 1941 by the First Presidency of the Church.
"In the first place, we should tell you that it is a part of the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints, as much a part as any other tenet of their religion, that the Lord Himself "established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood", and that this Constitution "should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles."

"I am saying to you that to me the Constitution of the United States of America is just as much from my Heavenly Father as the Ten Commandments." (President George Albert Smith, April 1948 General Conference)

"I testify that America is a choice land. God raised up the founding fathers of the United States of America and established the Constitution." (President Ezra Taft Benson, October 2, 1988 General Conference)

"The Constitution under which we live....is our God-inspired national safeguard insuring freedom and liberty, justice and equality before the law."
(President Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001 General Conference)


I'm sure some of us have heard or read statements by certain of the apostles to the effect that the Constitution is "not perfect" and that the Lord apparently did the best He could with certain divergent opinions and determinations among the men at the convention.

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James-T-Prout
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Re: What was inspired? The constitution

Post by James-T-Prout »

I have read the book "The Making of America" by W. Cleon Skousen.
It was his magnum opus.

Image

After reading this book several times, I can say that the Founders were indeed inspired from on high with not only inspiration,
but with the group feelings of consensus.

I did a review on The Making of America and W. Cleon Skousen's work here:
https://www.lastdaystimeline.com/making-of-america

and here:
https://www.lastdaystimeline.com/cleon-skousen

Skousen spoke about this "feeling of consensus" several times, and that the Quorum of the Twelve also move in this
same way of "consensus".

For those reading this post that are waking up to the glorious Constitution or it's important role of the future, as foretold in prophecy;
read The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen...Then jump into The Making of America by W. Cleon Skousen.

It was books of this nature about the Constitution, that calmed my troubled heart many years ago.

I have since recommended ALL of W. Cleon Skousen's books in my own book. I feel they are that important. Thank you.

eddie
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Re: What was inspired? The constitution

Post by eddie »

The Lord inspired those men to write the constitution in preparation of the gospel of Jesus Christ being restored. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion etc. This is the promised land, and a people ready to receive the truth, don't ever doubt that the Lord is at the helm!

lundbaek
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Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: What was inspired? The constitution

Post by lundbaek »

How do we explain the "imperfections" in the US Constitution, like, for example, the continuation of slavery, the denial to women of the right to vote ?

norgaards
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Re: What was inspired? The constitution

Post by norgaards »

Thank you very much for your feedback.

John

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