this Convention that it should be afterwards submitted to a Convention chosen in each State, under the recommendation of its Legislature, in order to receive the ratification of such Convention.

XXIII

To introduce this government, it is the opinion of this Convention, that
each assenting Convention should notify its assent and ratification to the
United States in Congress assembled; that Congress, after receiving the
assent and ratification of the Conventions of nine States, should appoint and
publish a day, as early as may be, and appoint a place for commencing pro-
ceedings under this Constitution; that after such publication, the Legisla-
tures of the several States should elect Members of the Senate, and direct
the election of Members of the House of Representatives; and that the
Members of the Legislature should meet at the time and place assigned by
Congress, and should, as soon as may be, after their meeting, ["choose
the President of the United States, and" stricken out] proceed to execute
this Constitution.

[INDORSEMENT.]

Printed Draught of the Constitution, received from the President of the

United States, March 19. 1796, by

[APPENDIX.]

Sir

from

[This letter
Mr. Pinckney to the
Secretary of State-
Mr. Adams-and its
of a Constitution,
were recently found
of the Department,

On my return to this City as I promised I examined care-accompanying draft fully all the numerous notes & papers which I had retained in another Bureau relating to the federal Convention-among them I found and restored to the several rough draughts of the Constitution I proposed to Convention-although they differed in some measure

papers of the Constitution. They are

the pere printed to re

from

place the copy of the draft made by Mr. Adams' direc

tion, noted by him

as "Paper furnished by Mr. Pinckney,"

each other in the wording & arrangement of the articles- and filed with the

archives of the Constitution in 1819

the first edition of

yet they were all substantially the same-they all proceeded which appeared in upon the idea of throwing out of View the attempt to amend this volume.] the existing Confederation (then a very favourite idea of a number) & proceeding de novo―of a Division of the Powers of Government into legislative executive & judicial & of making the Government to operate directly upon the People & not upon the States--My Plan was substantially adopted in the sequel except as to the Senate & giving more power to the Executive than I intended-the force of Vote which the small & middling states had in the Convention prevented our obtaining a proportional representation in more than one branch & the great power given to the President was never intended to have been given to him while the Convention continued in that patient coolly deliberative situation in which they had been for nearly the whole of the preceding five months of their session, nor was it until within the last week or ten days that almost the whole of the Executive

&

Department was altered-I can assure you as a fact that for more than Four months & a half out of Five The power of exclusively making treaties, appointing public Ministers & judges of the supreme Court was given to the Senate after numerous debates & considerations of the subject both in Committee of the whole & in the house-this I not only aver but can prove by printed Documents in my possession to have been the case-& should I ever have the pleasure to see you & converse on this subject will state to you some things relative to this business that may be new and perhaps surprising to you the Veil of secrecy from the Proceedings of the Convention being removed by Congress & but very few of the members alive would make disclosures now of the scenes there acted less improper than before- With the aid of the journal & the numerous notes & memorandums I have preserved should ["not" with the word "now" superscribed] be in

my power

["be difficult for me" stricken out] to give a View of

almost insuperable

A

the difficulties the Convention had to encounter & of the conflicting opinions of the members & I believe I should have attempted it had I not always understood Mr Madison intended it—he alone I believed possessed & retained more numerous & particular notes of their proceedings than myself I will thank you sir to do me the honour to send me or to get the President to direct a copy of the Journal of the Convention to be sent me as also of the Secret Journals of Congress should it be considered not improper in me to make the request-

I have already informed you I have several rough draughts of the Constitution I proposed & that they are all substantially the same differing only in words & the arrangement Of the Articles at the distance of nearly thirty two Years it is

impossible for me now to say which of the 4 or 5 draughts I have was the one but enclosed I send you the one I believe was it-I repeat however that they are substantially the same differing only in form & unessentials-

It may be necessary to remark that very soon after the Convention met I changed & avowed candidly the change of my opinion on giving the power to Congress to revise the State Laws in certain cases & in giving the exclusive Power to the Senate to declare War thinking it safer to ["vest" stricken out] refuse the first altogether & to vest the latter in Congress-I will thank you to acknowledge by a line the receipt of the Draught & this

With very great respect & Esteem

I have the honour to be Your most

The Honourable John Quincy Adams

Secretary for the Department of State
The City

Of Washington

[Endorsement]

Pinckney Charles, December 30. 1818.

Recd January 6 1819.

with a Copy of the Dft of his ["Constititt"
stricken out] Constitutions proposed in the
federal Convention.