Pay lip service to the Elizabeth Warren wing of the party. Most ega donors most dga dono rs are corporate, moderate. Montana, even though it is a red state, barack obama lost. There is this populist streak, which is why they have had democratic governors, why jon tester was able to earn reelection. He is waiting to see where the party goes, and not necessarily pick a path. Do you think he is trying to draw a line between governors and washington, washington in general, which would mean democrats as well . Is that unusual for a Governors Association chairman . I do not think it is that unusual. He was careful when barack obama came up to distance himself from obama. And it is true, obama is going to be very popular in 2015. It may be different in some of the states where there are going to be competitive elections. It will be in states where Hillary Clinton could win. I thought he was being a little bit more careful in trying to delineate himself from the National Party than a Chris Christie would. I reached him about a story we were writing. Mitchell was quite upset, responding jesus several times as i read him the story. He then proceeded to threaten an important part of the anatomy, which he said would get caught in a big factoring or if the post printed the story. He also said, we are going to do a story on all of you. And he hung up the phone. I call to ban at home. I did not much observe the chain and command. Had he been drinking . I couldnt tell. That i have good notes . Yes. Okay, ben said, but all of it in the paper. Tell the desk it is okay, he said. A top official of the Nixon Campaign called me a few minutes later to make an appeal that mitchell had been caught in an unguarded moment. He doesnt want to show up in the paper like that. The official then called bradley at home. Bradle recalled saying,it just boils down to this question whether the Washington Post reporter identified himself as a reporter, and if he did that, then all my qualifications have been satisfied. Ben died in october at the age of 83. We will have his Funeral Service at 8 00 pm eastern on c span. Now, remarks from jeb bush and Justice Samuel alito. They recently spoke at an event opening a new exhibit at the National Constitution center in philadelphia. [applause] i am so glad to welcome you tonight. Justice alito, governor bush, tony marx, David Rubenstein, honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, i am jeffrey rosen, the president of this wonderful institution. The National Constitution center is the only institution in america chartered by congress to disseminate information about the u. S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis. It is hard to imagine a more exciting milestone in that than the one we celebrate tonight. 225 years ago,George Washington sent to the state 30 copies of the bill of rights. 12 of those original copies survive,aand today, one of them is returning to philadelphia. We are unveiling a few viewing previewing the gallery today. This display of the bill of rights is made possible thanks to an historic agreement between the commonwealth of pennsylvania and the New York Public Library. The exhibit, which you will see after the show, is thrilling. It includes a stone declaration, as well as a printing of the u. S. Constitution. That tells how the weiss, who were promised in the constitution, and were finally codified in the bill of rights. It will allow visitors in the gallery and online across the world to click on the bill of rights and follow the spread of that liberty to constitutions around the world. The new gallery and exhibit will be the focal point at the National Constitution center, online, and around the country. Im pleased to announce today that we have just been awarded a three year grant to promote constitutional education. They are here with us tonight, and we are so grateful for the generosity and patriotism. [applause] i am also thrilled to announce that in partnership with the council board, the National Constitution center will create the best Interactive Center on the web. Well have explanatory materials. It will be supervised by an advisory board, cochaired by the founders of the Federalist Society and the american constitutional society. We will also convene scholars and citizens from all walks of life. The podcasts are building a Wonderful National audience. As americas town hall, and as the center for civic education, the National Constitution center is the one place in america where citizens and students can hear all sides of the constitutional debates that are at the center of american life. So, this is an exciting moment. It is also a time for a familial celebration because we are especially grateful to our friends and donors who have made the president George Hw Bush gallery possible. They include william j and Hillary Rodham clinton. Their friendship is a model for the bipartisanship at the National Constitution center. It is now my special privilege to introduce the superb chair. When i began this wonderful job a year ago, governor jeb bush told me that his father considered the service to the u. S. National Constitution Center the most meaningful post service. He has done a wonderful job. His passion for education and his commitment to educating children of all ages has helps to cement our exciting collaborations with the college board, with intelligence squared with whom we started a really thrilling debate series anti as a model for nonpartisanship and patriotism. Im pleased to be able to stand with governor bush to honor his father tonight. President bushs many friends and admirers decided the gallery should be named in his honor. We are so grateful for governor bush to taking up his fathers expiring example. We are delighted he is joined tonight by his son, jeb junior. Please join me in welcoming governor jeb bush. [applause] thank you. Thank you, all, very much. Thank you, jeff. If you cant get fired up about the declaration of independence and the bill of rights after listening to geoff speak, you need to go back and learn how to get fired up. Because the enthusiasm jeff brings his extraordinary. I love the mission of visits, learn, debate. Hopefully, well get a few more visitors to come because of this historic relationship to have the bill of rights be located here. There are a lot of other great exhibits. Tell your friends and neighbors to come because it is important to have people to come and visit. Learning about our heritage and our past is something that i think we lack in our country, to be honest with you. We need to reengage with the heritage in a way that makes it alive in 2014 and beyond. 4 the problems that seem so intractable today, it just seems like nothing seriously working these days. 4 part of it has to do with the fact that we dont have a set of shared values that we talk a lot enough. Understanding the genius of the foundersand what they created here truly, truly matters. Learning about our past to the constitutionis another important element of what the National Constitution center does. I have to tell you, we were honoring my dad today. President clinton, it is time for him to leave as the chair, im not telling him to do this, but he ought to consider him doing it. And, here i am. All it took was a hint to suggest that i do this. He was so wise because this has been an extraordinary experience for me. I want to thank all the donorswho made this possible. Justice alito, it is a joy to be with you. Thank you for coming after a very hectic time to celebrate this. Tony, thanks for coming, thanks for sharing the document. It is a joy. And, david, thank you for everything that you do. Im not sure everybody understands his generosity. Thank you for your commitment to our history and heritage. David has put words into action, and it has made a huge difference. [applause] i am truly honored to be here to represent the bush family in this honor. My dad is 90 years old. He cannot walk anymore, but you know what, he can fly and jump out of airplanes still. He has a joy for life, still to this day, and he loves his country with all his heart and soul. Im going to lessen my speech because there is some dna problem among bushs and we Start Talking and crying like babies. I know that my dad would be extremely honored, and my mom, that this designation has been given to him. Now, the next order im giving them is to come and see it. Thank you all very much. [applause] it is now my pleasure to introduce tom corbett. As governor, and before that as attorney general, governor corbett helped negotiate the historic agreement that allows the New York Public Library and the commonwealth of pennsylvania to take turns in displaying the document. Susan, you spoke so eloquently last week in your passion for education. Please join me in welcoming governor corbett. [applause] david, thank you so much for inviting us here today. And having a little opportunity to get together for what is an event i have been looking for to four, steve, how many years . Five years . I think it should be noted, steve came to me five years ago and said, how would you like to get the bill of rights to pennsylvania . Im game from that point forward, stevedid a great job of representing the commonwealth in this discussion with the New York Public Library. I am so glad we were able to reach an accommodation. We shared not just with pennsylvanias, not just with people from new york, but all the visitors who come to new york and philadelphia from around the world. Why do they come . Well, they come to see what this embodiment of the country is really about. And that is freedom. Freedom is new in the greater scale of the times that we have had this world because even though it is 225 years after it is written into law, it is a concept that was rather new at the time, and still new in many areas of the world. The bill of rights has survived the test of 200 centuries. It has become the touchstone of our citizenship, and the testimony to what the genius of our Founding Fathers, and the undeniable truth that we are born free. This acknowledgment stands as a senate contrast to other parts of the world. Extremist do go about the globe, professing that their view endorses tearaney. They hate the very concept that individuals know what is best for them. That is why, after crafting our constitution that explains the structure and function of our government, Constitutional Government constructed 12, ended up with 10, amendments that major that the same government who protect social order were not suppress social freedoms. Rather, they recognize that the essential freedoms of free speech, religion, personal property, Human Dignity already existed. The genius of madison, of mason, and their colleagues was an understanding that every person is born with those rights. That those rates recorded in the first 10 amendments are every childs inheritance. These are god given rights. And we are born with essential freedoms that no government can take away without becoming illegitimate. Governments are seized by men who respect only their own power and honor their own beliefs. That has not happened here in the United States. Even to people who would use their freedoms to destroy our society have not succeeded in a racing the understanding written into the heart of every man, woman, and child from the moment of their birth that freedom is the natural order of things. And the bill of rights is our famous discovery of this truth. So, it is my pleasure on behalf of the commonwealth of pennsylvania, to thank you all for joining us. To have the Public Library of new york joining with us. Ensuring our freedoms that are written down in a document that is 225 years old. A document that people from around the world will see, immigrant to this country, and become citizens of this country because they believe. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you so much, governor, for that absolutely superb encapsulation of the bill of rights founding. We are so grateful to you for your engagement and negotiations with our friends at the Public Library. It is now my special pleasure to introduce tony marx, the president of the New York Public Library. Tony helped to show for the historic agreement that has brought us here today. Tony believes that the New York Public Library, like the center, is a great contribution. To spread the cause of constitutional education. And were here to celebrate their spirit and coming to this agreement because of our joint interest in displaying this bill of rights to the public. When it opens later this year, citizens around the country can be inspired by the document, and learn about the ideals it embodies. Please join me in welcoming tony marx. [applause] well, thank you, jeff. It is good to be here in this fabulous city, and this commonwealth back where i lived once upon a time. And to be partnering with you all in this historic moment. So, i understand that president clinton when he was chairing the board of the National Constitution center suggested that there has to be a way for all citizens to enjoy this document. That we should find a way to make it possible to share it, in that sense of public demonstration. So, here tonight, we celebrate the bipartisanship and the agreement of Public Interest of clintons and bushs together. I also want to thank those two who made this exhibit possible to their donations. I want to thank my team at the New York Public Library, who have been working tirelessly, tirelessly, through the weekends for months now the library has been a great steward of this document for over a century, and we continue to be great stewards of this document. Sso pleased that i can be shared and viewed here in philadelphia, as well. We will be also putting it on display at the New York Public Library with all of our treasures. We hope all the children of new york city, and others, will come and view the letter on hand tthese documents are not just, as david knows, not just artifacts of history. They are movers of history. When i came to the New York Public Library, i asked about our collections and i was told about this document. I said, i am the president , i want to see it. My first reaction is exactly the first reaction everyone of you will have wwhich is spine tingling. To have the sense that George Washington looked at this piece of paper, approves the copy, and said send it out for ratification. So that the people of america could decide on their own rights. But there was a second reaction i had when i took a careful look. I looked at the document and said, i dont know, but i think youve been had. Im pretty sure there are only 10 amendments, and this piece of paper has 12. It took seeing the document for me to learn, and im sure i will not be alone, that we send 12 out for ratification and only 10 survived. If you read carefully and we have the best preserved copy the ratification process got rid of two for stupid proposals. If not for that process, we would have at a bill of rights that ensured a congress of 6000 members. That would have been good. [laughter] and, in the bill of rights, a guarantee of how much the members of congress would be paid. That surely deserves to be in the first 10 rights. This document teaches. It teaches how democracy works. It teaches at its beginning that democracy can make the right decisions. Collectively, we can separate the two that dont belong from the 10 that we celebrate today. We hope that this display, and the display for this document, and its related documents around the country, will continue to aspire generations to learn, to debate, to respect. I am not a governor. I am not a justice. Im a citizen. I know one thing. If history tells us one thing, in the decades ahead, there will be hard times. There will be crises, there will be fears. They will challenge our beliefs. If the display of this document is some small way here in philadelphia helps to remind us to hold to those truths, to those principles and rights that will see us through whatever dark days may come, and what we do here today will be well worth while. Thank you. [applause] thank you so much tony. We are thrilled by our collaboration. And thrilled to share this joint commitment to constitutional education. It is now my great pleasure to introduce my friend and coauthor, David Rubenstein. Here is the story. David rubenstein has generously lent us a stone declaration of independence. Perhaps he will tell us about the provenance of that stone. He came to the National Constitution center last fall. I decided to interview him about the relationship between the constitution of the declaration of the bill of rights. Our conversation was so riveting. He has such a gift for explaining the ideas that animate these founding documents to his students of all ages. We decided to transcribe the conversation and to write it up, to use it as the script for the exhibit you will see. Also and this is the real reason i have gathered you, to use it as the introduction to our National Constitution center pocket constitution and create a pamphlet we will distribute in the gallery and online on our incredible microsite that will make this available to students across the land, so they can read in clear language about how the rights that were promised in the declaration were implicit in the constitution and codified in the bill of rights. David, i have so enjoyed discussions of these documents with you. I have enjoyed being your coauthor, and im so grateful to you for your patriotic philanthropy and your engagement with the National Constitution center. Please join me in welcoming David Rubenstein. [applause] last weekend i had the honor at the smithsonian to interview a man named jim lovell. Many of you may know of him. He was the pilot on apollo 13. You have seen the movie. I asked him, did nasa know 13 is an unlucky number . I went through the apollo 13. You have seen the movie. I will not go through that. But i really asked him about apollo eight. Apollo eight was the first time that any human had ever left the orbit of the earth and had gone into another planets or beings orbit. They orbited the moon. Some of you may remember this. It happened in 1968, at the end of 1968, a difficult year. For doing this, he and his two copilots became the man of the year for time magazine. As they went around the dark side of the moon, they came around and saw an earthrise. No one had ever seen earthrise before. And they saw the earth in its beauty, its blue and white. No human had ever seen the earth in that picture before. 240,000 miles away. And he put his thumb up and he realized that the thumb, as small as it is, was able to block the entire earth. He realized how small and insignificant the earth really is. What is the likelihood that life would exist on any one planet, any one solar system, any one galaxy . Very, very small. As i thought about it, i thought it is similar to bringing 57 human beings together, in philadelphia, for four months, locking them up and telling them to come up with a new way to govern this country. Maybe the odds were about the same. One in a billion, perhaps. One in a there is human life billion somewhere else. One in a billion you could get 57 people to come up with a new system of governing that is still operating more or less. Think about it. Before the constitution was developed, there had never been anything like it. Since then, there has been nothing like it. 200 plus years after the constitution was developed in the city, a few blocks from here, we are still operating largely through that constitution. And i think that constitution, because of its guarantees and the structure of the government, really enabled this country to become what it has become. So we owe a great deal of gratitude to those 57 individuals. Think about this. They were 57 individuals told , they had to stay most of the summer. They did. Three of them did not sign it. 54 signed it. Three did not. Why didnt they . Why didnt they sign it . Randolph from virginia, mason from virginia, and Eldridge Perry from massachusetts said there is no bill of rights. In the ratification process it was not certain that this document would be ratified. It was not certain at all. It was only ratified because there was a bill of rights. Going to be a bill of rights. It was agreed by certain states they would ratify on the presumption there would be a bill of rights. James madison, who worked very hard to get the ratification in virginia, and it occurred very narrowly, a member of the first house of representatives he , drafted not 12 amendments, he drafted 39 amendments. 12 of them got through both houses. They ultimately were approved by the states, and they became part of our system of government. Without the bill of rights, i think our constitution would not be what it is. It is a unique set of freedoms and rights. And i think all of us are privileged to be in a country that has these rights and these freedoms, and i think all of you, everybody should think about how unusual it is that a country like this, all of us who have risen up from probably modest circumstances, could rise up and do what we have done, probably protected by the freedoms in the bill of rights and the extraordinary system the constitution developed for our government. The constitution had a fatal flaw in many ways. In addition to not having a bill of rights, it did not have an adequate way to address slavery. And obviously we suffered the , consequences of that for many years, and ultimately a civil war occurred and we are still dealing with the consequences. That exception aside, and it is a terrible exception, the constitution is an incredible living document, one that has given us the country we have. I would like to briefly talk about one thing just mentioned declaration of independence. The declaration of independence, like the constitution, they try to do the same thing. They both try to overthrow a government. One peacefully, and one by war. One by violence, more or less by war. The declaration of independence, also in philadelphia was agreed , drafted by Thomas Jefferson. He was given 17 days to do it, and he did it like most people in the last three or four days. He waited until the end. [laughter] he drafted it, gave it to his committee to edit. It was edited modestly by Benjamin Franklin and john adams, and then he waited for it to be voted on. July 2, the Second Continental Congress voted for independence, and john adams wrote home to his wife abigail. He said, today will be the day American History will remember forever. Today is the day we will remember forever. Today is the day we will celebrate forever. July 2. That was the day they voted to be independent. They then took up the document Thomas Jefferson drafted. In his view, they mutilated it. He sat mute because he did not like to publicly talk. As president , he only made one public speech. He had a high and squeaky voice, he was not a good speaker so he , never spoke in public much. He didnt speak that day when they were relating his document. He later sent the document to his friends and said, dont you think it is better . Ultimately they agreed to it on july 4, then they went next door to a printer and said, would you print up 200 copies of this, so one can go to the king of england, one can go to George Washington to read to the troops, one can go to every state, and people can no why we can know why we are being independent. In that document, the most famous sentence in the english line which appeared. It became the guiding spirit for the constitution, the guiding spirit for our country. We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The idea that all people all re equal was a guiding principle that guided us for many years. And while we still have not achieved it perfectly, we are making more progress in this direction than any other country of our size or type. And it was Thomas Jefferson who drafted that document. And then, after mr. Dunlop distributed it, it was decided the members would come back and sign it. They came back in august. They signed the declaration of independence. That document is in the archives, but it has faded. As it was fading, John Quincy Adams said they had to make a perfect copy, because it had been treated poorly and was almost burned in the war of 1812 when the british were invading. So it was safely stored, but it was fading. And so they did make 200 perfect copies in 1832, called stone copies, after the printer mr. Stone. Now there are 35 of them left. Whenever you see in the New York Times a copy of the declaration of independence, you are seeing a stone copy, which is now here. A perfect replica, made by a process where they took a wet cloth to the original declaration of independence and took off half the ink, ruining further the original declaration of independence, but they made a perfect copy, and now we have these perfect copies so people can see it. The declaration of independence really was designed to overthrow the government. The constitution was designed to overthrow the government a peaceful way. Let me conclude by making two points. One, that i have the privilege of knowing many people who served as president. I worked in the white house for one, and i worked with a number of others. I have gotten to know George Herbert walker bush, and i would say he is by far the nicest person who ever served as president of the United States that i have ever met. The nicest person i ever met who served as president. I thought about it over the years, he is the nicest person i ever met, not just president. The nicest Single Person i have ever met. He is a person who has enormous generosity for other people enormous compassion, extraordinarily talented and obviously a person we would call a great american. Had he been around in the 1700s, he would have been a founding father. There is no doubt in my mind that he would have been the kind of person the states would have said, you have to go to the Second Continental Congress. You work on the declaration of independence. You work on the constitutional convention. I think he would have been a spectacular founding father. And so today, i just want to pay respects, because he is a man extraordinary in what he has done for our country. The kind of person you could say, what are the Founding Fathers like . If you know George Herbert walker bush, you know what a founding father was like. Final comment i would make is i , would like everyone to do what they can to remind them of the to remind people of the great history we have in this country. I like to call it patriotic philanthropy, giving back to the country, reminding people that it is important to give your time, your energy, your money because we cant let our children and grandchildren not know about our history. Today, so few children know about the history of our country. So few know about the american revolution. So few know about the bill of rights, the constitution. The declaration of independence. It is sad when you look at what children learn today, compared to what they should know. So the extent that any of you have time, energy, money and you can contribute to awareness of this kind of thing, i regard it as patriotic philanthropy. A very important thing to think about doing. For your children, your grandchildren, our country. When john kennedy gave his inaugural address, you all remember what he said. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. That is as true today as it was then. He ended that speech that great inaugural address, by saying, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love with his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth gods work must truly be our own. We have to recognize that gods work, in my view is reminding , people of the great freedoms we have because of the constitution, the bill of rights, and the extraordinary country we have. To the extent that all of us can do something to remind people and help people that way we are doing gods work on earth. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you, david, for that passionate defense of patriotic philanthropy, and beautiful tribute to president bush. And david mentioned there was one wrong that had to be righted in the original constitution. And that was the effacement of slavery. Well im about to put david to , work again. Because the 13th amendment which turns 150 next year, abolished slavery. David generously agreed to loan us the 13th amendment, and we will have another conversation about this. And its importance and its relation to the bill of rights. We are going to publish another pamphlet. Then, heres what i want to do. I want to create the only gallery committed to the constitutional legacy of reconstruction in america. So we are going to have three copies of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments abolishing slavery, guaranteeing equality and giving africanamericans the right to vote. We will combine that with civil war artifacts, and i think it will be thrilling to teach americans that reconstruction amendments are just as central to our constitutional tradition as the bill of rights. Thats the next big project for the constitutional center. It is now my great honor to introduce our keynote speaker, Justice Samuel alito. He is the 110th justice of the Supreme Court, and our circuit justice here in the third circuit, where he sat before becoming an associate justice in 2006. Justice alito he is a devoted friend of pennsylvania and of the third circuit. He gave a keynote address at our circuit conference last spring one of the funniest i ever heard. He is coming to us from new haven, where he participated in what sounded like a pretty raucous panel at Yale Law School involving justices thomas and soto mayor sotomayor. He was asked what was the most inspirational book youve ever read, and he said, i keep two inspirational books. My grandfathers son by justice thomas, and my beloved world by justice sotomayor. [laughter] he is respected and feared by Supreme Court advocates, because he always asks the most pointed and relevant questions that get to the heart of the case. We are honored he is here tonight. With his wonderful and vivacious wife, martha. So much fun to get a chance to talk to you. It was wonderful to talk to you. We are absolutely honored he agreed to address us tonight on the subject of the bill of rights. Join me in welcoming Justice Samuel alito. [applause] thank you, for the introduction. Thank you for inviting me here. It is wonderful to be a part of this celebration. This is a great event. When i was invited, and i leaped at the opportunity to come, what came to my mind were a number of connections between things that are relevant to tonights event. Im going to speak for a short time, but what i do want to talk about are some of those connections. The first are personal. I hope you will pardon me if i begin with a couple personal connections to tonights event. This has been an important night for me in the work that i do for many years. I have been deciding cases involving provisions of the bill of rights, and i have been looking at both pocket versions of the constitution like this, and i have taken it on faith that their version of the bill of rights is actually what was adopted by congress and ratified by the states. Today i had the opportunity to look at an original and verify that there really arent any discrepancies. [laughter] that has been important to me. Another personal connection is in 1990 i was appointed to the United States court of appeals for the third circuit, a Wonderful Court which is headquartered right across the street, by president george h. W. Bush. I am grateful for him giving me the opportunity. As a result, i spent a lot of very satisfying days in this historic city and this historic part of the city, and i learned Something Interesting to me personally during my confirmation period, not a period i would like to relive, but it had a few high points. A newspaper hired a genealogist, to do a genealogy of my family, and one of the things that was discovered was that my paternal grandmother and my father came to the United States through philadelphia. They landed here just a short distance away, at the port of philadelphia. So philadelphia is meaningful to me for those reasons. Those are just personal connections. What i want to talk about are connections between what we are celebrating here today, the exhibit of an original copy of the bill of rights, and todays events. And what i want to talk about are connections between the bill of rights and two great historic american cities, and also connections between the bill of rights and the president. Now you can probably guess which cities and which president im going to talk about. The first of the cities as new york, which of course is connected to this event because the New York Public Library is very graciously loaning its copy of the bill of rights to the exhibit here. And im sure we are all very grateful to that Great Institution for allowing that to happen. But theres another very important connection to the city of new york. New york was our Nations Capital in 1789 when congress adopted the amendments which later became the bill of rights, and sent those amendments to the states for ratification. So new york city can claim the title as the birthplace of the bill of rights. The other city, of course, is philadelphia. Thats where we are. Thats where this copy of the bill of rights is going to be exhibited in the National Constitution center. But philadelphia also has deeper connections to the bill of rights. Most of these have already been mentioned, but i think they bear repetition. First of all the seed that became the bill of rights was planted here in philadelphia in 1776, when the Continental Congress adopted the declaration of independence. As we know, and as David Rubenstein reminded us, the declaration of independence proclaimed that every person has certain unalienable rights. And the bill of rights codifies the promise of the declaration of independence. It codifies unalienable rights that are precious to us as americans. The bill of rights also represents the completion of the work that was done across the street in Independence Hall during the hot summer of 1787. That, of course, was where the body of our constitution was adopted and sent to the states for ratification. We all know the story. When the body of the constitution was completed there were those who thought that it was not complete, that the new, more powerful federal government that was created by the constitution would threaten the liberty of the people, and therefore they thought it was imperative that there be explicit guarantees of rights in the constitution. On the other hand, there were those who thought the structure of the new government framed by the constitution, limitations of federal authority and separation of powers, the system of dual sovereignty, provided better protection and sufficient protection for the rights of the people. Both of those groups were powerful, and ultimately what occurred was a compromise. The constitution was ratified, but as David Rubenstein reminded us, it was ratified on the understanding that a bill of rights would be promptly framed and adopted, and that is what happened. Today we can see that both of those groups were perceptive. On the one hand, the government has grown to a size that the founding generation could never have imagined, and the bill of rights is needed to keep the federal government and state governments in check, to make sure they do not violate precious individual rights. At the same time, without the governmental structure that the constitution created, the bill of rights would be like an arm without a body. Constitutional provisions protecting individual rights are worse than useless if they are not backed by a governmental structure to enforce those rights. That brings me to the third connection between the bill of rights and the city of philadelphia. By the time the first 10 amendments were ratified, the National Capital had moved from new york to philadelphia, and it was here, across the street, that the Supreme Court heard its first cases. It had met in a very brief session in new york and adopted some internal rules, but after that the capital moved to philadelphia, the Supreme Court moved to philadelphia, the Supreme Court heard its first cases across the street. In the summer of 1791. It was not long after that, in the mid1790s, that the court began to hear arguments about the provisions of the bill of rights. They were put into operation in that way. This brings me to the president to whom i referred. And i dont think it is a mystery who im talking about. Im talking about president George Herbert walker bush. What is his connection here . Well, first of all, we witnessed the unveiling of the president george h. W. Bush gallery. So that is a connection. But there are two others i want to talk about. The first is something of a curiosity, and it relates to things that have been discussed. The amendments that we call the bill of rights were sent to the states for ratification on september 25, 1789. Congress sent 12 amendments to the states, but the states originally ratified only 10 amendments. 13 through 12. The first of the amendments, it is certainly true that the first two really dont seem to fit in with what we consider the bill of rights. The first one, which concerned the composition of the house of representatives, is still out there. It has not been ratified and probably never will be. [laughter] the second, which also does not fit with the provisions of the bill of rights, had a differ
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