Introductory Remarks

Two centuries of national existence surely call for the expressions of devotion they will be evoking throughout this year. This meeting focuses on the framing of the polity and government that have endured. In con sidering the Constitution, we have before us the rich record of the past with its glories and frustrations. We must learn from that record, concentrating on the present and future. To achieve the purpose of this convention, we must feel as free to criticize as to extol the constitutional positions examined. The delegates who signed the Constitution did not consider it perfect, but only hoped that the draft would surmount the weakness of its articles and lead to a "more perfect union." The amending clause represented a signifi cant advance in thought about the nature of organic law. The framers' plan was an innovation in support of adapta tion, stringent as its requirements may be

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