D , in writing of H, John McKesson Papers, New-York Historical Society, New York City. The amendments are also in McKesson, “Journal of the Proceedings,” description begins “Journal of the Proceedings of the Convention of the State of NewYork. Held at the Town of Poughkeepsie County of Dutchess and Commencing on Tuesday the 17th day of June 1788” (MS, New York State Library, Albany). description ends 33–35, New York State Library, Albany.
1 . On July 15 James Duane moved that the New York Convention ratify the Constitution. Duane’s motion read in part as follows:
“it will be more prudent, to rely for whatever Amendments may be desireable, in the said Constitution, on the mode therein prescribed than either to embarrass the Union, or to hazard Dissentions, in any part of the Community, by pursuing a different course; and with a full Confidence, that the Amendments, which shall have been proposed, will receive an early and mature Consideration.” ( McKesson, “Journal of the Proceedings,” description begins “Journal of the Proceedings of the Convention of the State of NewYork. Held at the Town of Poughkeepsie County of Dutchess and Commencing on Tuesday the 17th day of June 1788” (MS, New York State Library, Albany). description ends 31–32.)
Duane’s motion concluded with the “Amendments to the Constitution” which are printed above. The [New York] Daily Advertiser , July 22, 1788, erroneously attributed Duane’s motion to H.
2 . Childs ( Debates and Proceedings of the Convention of the State of New-York , 142) states that Duane’s motion was made on July 16. According to McKesson (“Journal of the Proceedings,” 31), the motion was made on July 17. The draft in the John McKesson Papers, however, is dated July 15, and this date is substantiated by Gilbert Livingston’s and McKesson’s reports of the debates. Livingston records H as reading on July 15 “a list of Amend[ment]s which they think would be of real service.” McKesson states: “Mr Hamilton produced the form of a Ratificatn and also a number of Amendments which he read.”
3 . All marginal notations in this document were added by McKesson.
4 . Space left blank in MS.
5 . In the margin opposite this paragraph McKesson wrote: “Mr: Hamiltons motion as an Amendt on Mr. Lansings 22d. July 1788.”
6 . Space left blank on MS.
Note: The annotations to this document, and any other modern editorial content, are copyright © Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
Source Project Hamilton Papers Title New York Ratifying Convention. Amendments to the Constitution, [15 July 1788] Author Hamilton, Alexander Date 15 July 1788
Cite as “New York Ratifying Convention. Amendments to the Constitution, [15 July 1788],” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-05-02-0012-0069. [Original source: The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 5, June 1788 – November 1789, ed. Harold C. Syrett. New York: Columbia University Press, 1962, pp. 167–170.]
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