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Quote by George Washington

“The business being thus closed . . . dined together and took a cordial leave of each other After which I returned to my lodgings, did some business with and received the papers from the secretary of the Convention, and retired to meditate on the momentous work which had been executed.”

Book:The Writings of George Washington: Being His Correspondence, Addresses, Messages, and Other Papers, Official and Private, Selected and Published from the Original Manuscripts; with a Life of the Author, Notes, and Illustrations

Work

The Writings of George Washington: Being His Correspondence, Addresses, Messages, and Other Papers, Official and Private, Selected and Published from the Original Manuscripts; with a Life of the Author, Notes, and Illustrations

The Writings of George Washington offers a detailed insight into the life and work of the first President of the United States. It contains a vast array of letters, addresses, and official documents, providing a unique perspective on Washington's leadership and his role in the early years of the United States. The book is accompanied by a biography that delves into Washington's personal life and career, as well as extensive notes and illustrations that enhance the reader's understanding of the historical context and significance of the documents. more

Author

George Washington

George Washington was the first President of the United States and a key figure in the American Revolutionary War. Born on February 22, 1732, and died on December 14, 1799, Washington is known for his strong leadership and belief in democracy, playing a crucial role in American history. more

“[T]he Constitution ought to be the standard of construction for the laws, and that wherever there is an evident opposition, the laws ought to give place to the Constitution. But this doctrine is not deducible from any circumstance peculiar to the plan of convention, but from the general theory of a limited Constitution.”

Giving Law Plans Theory Ought Circumstances Standards Constitution Doctrine Opposition Peculiar Construction Conventions Evident

Book:The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of the Federalist Papers

Source: The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of the Federalist Papers

“Our peculiar security is in the possession of a written Constitution. Let us not make it a blank paper by construction.”

Written Security Paper Constitution Possession Peculiar Construction Blank Notable Us Constitution Blank Paper

Book:Memoir, correspondence, and miscellanies from the papers of T. Jefferson

Source: Memoir, correspondence, and miscellanies from the papers of T. Jefferson

“The construction applied . . . to those parts of the Constitution of the United States which delegate Congress a power . . . ought not to be construed as themselves to give unlimited powers, nor a part to be so taken as to destroy the whole residue of that instrument.”

Giving States Whole United United States Taken Ought Constitution Instruments Congress Construction Unlimited Delegates Constitution Of The United States Unlimited Power

Book:The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Miscellaneous: 4. Parliamentary manual; 5. The anas; 6. Miscellaneous papers

Source: The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Miscellaneous: 4. Parliamentary manual; 5. The anas; 6. Miscellaneous papers

“[T]he true key for the construction of everything doubtful in a law is the intention of the law-makers. This is most safely gathered from the words, but may be sought also in extraneous circumstances provided they do not contradict the express words of the law.”

May Law Keys Circumstances Constitution Intention Makers Construction Doubtful

Book:The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private

Source: The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private

“The constitution of the United States is to receive a reasonable interpretation of its language, and its powers, keeping in view the objects and purposes, for which those powers were conferred. By a reasonable interpretation, we mean, that in case the words are susceptible of two different senses, the one strict, the other more enlarged, that should be adopted, which is most consonant with the apparent objects and intent of the Constitution.”

Source: Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States: With a Preliminary Review of the Constitutional History of the Colonies and States, Before the Adoption of the Constitution

“Laws are made for men of ordinary understanding and should, therefore, be construed by the ordinary rules of common sense. Their meaning is not to be sought for in metaphysical subtleties which may make anything mean everything or nothing at pleasure.”

Men Should May Mean Made Law Understanding Pleasure Common Ordinary Common Sense Metaphysical Subtlety

Book:Selected letters of Thomas Jefferson

Source: Selected letters of Thomas Jefferson

“The Constitution on which our Union rests, shall be administered by me [as President] according to the safe and honest meaning contemplated by the plain understanding of the people of the United States at the time of its adoption - a meaning to be found in the explanations of those who advocated, not those who opposed it, and who opposed it merely lest the construction should be applied which they denounced as possible.”

People Should States Found Understanding President United United States Honest Safe Constitution Unions Explanation Construction Adoption

Author:Thomas Jefferson

“The best reason to be assigned, in this case, for not having made the Constitution more free from a charge of uncertainty in its meaning, is believed to be, that it was not suspected that any such charge would ever take place; and it appears that no such charge did take place, during the early period of the Constitution, when the meaning of its authors could be best ascertained, nor until many of the contemporary lights had in the lapse of time been extinguished. How often does it happen, that a notoriety of intention diminishes the caution against its being misunderstood or doubted!”