Archiving Early America: a Web site devoted to the historical
documents of the 18th century. The Formation of a National
Government: Chapter 3 in The American Revolution - an HTML
project. The Constitution continues to serve as the foundation
of our government and our society. Every group, from the
National Rifle Association to the American Association of
Retired People, have claimed the Constitution as the source of
their rights and interests. And although over 11,000 changes to
the original document have been proposed, only 28 amendments
have ever been ratified. During the week we mark our nation's
birth, it is important to examine the motivations that drove the
Continental Congress. What were the pressing issues of the day
that caused the framers of the Constitution to choose the
amendments they did? What were their long range intentions? How
has a document drafted two centuries ago survived essentially
unchanged? Have the principles codified in the original
Constitution lasted? Gerard Gawalt, early Americ