Constitution (United States)

President Roosevelt tells the crowd in Lexington, Kentucky, that the state has a special relationship to American history as a border state both between north and south, as well as east and west. Kentucky has also contributed more than one would expect to “the leadership of the country in peace and in war.” Roosevelt expounds on three necessary qualities of citizenship: honesty, courage, and common sense. He argues that, just as military tactics and arms change but the soldier’s spirit remains constant, so too must good citizenship continue even as laws or the Constitution must adapt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Black ink cartoon of President Roosevelt dressed in an admiral’s uniform and standing on a copy of the United States Constitution. He is addressing six men, all with Roosevelt’s face. One of the men is dressed as a cook and labeled “Treasury.” The rest are in Naval uniforms with the labels Army, Cabinet, Navy, Senate, and House. In the background is a ship’s smokestack labeled “The Uncle Sam Teddy.”

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1904-06-12

Creator(s)

Unknown

Black ink cartoon with Theodore Roosevelt seated on top of a ladder and reading the Constitution.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1904-08-27

Creator(s)

Rogers, W. A. (William Allen), 1854-1931

Theodore Roosevelt appears as a giant sitting on a rock with a large stick across his lap. He is being challenged by a diminutive figure labeled “The Constitution” with a large sword and two even smaller figures labeled “You” and “Me.”

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1907-03-20

Illustration shows the drafting of Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. Two men labeled “The Big Interests” and “Political Boss,” who has a “Legislator” in his back pocket, are peeking from behind a curtain labeled “The Intervening Years.” Caption: Present-Day Boss — They couldn’t have hit on a better way of electing senators if we’d been there to fix them.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911-07-12

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

Sermon extracts from Rev. Dr. Dean R. Babbitt, Rev. Dr. David Gregg, and Rev. Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis regarding discrimination against African Americans in the south.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-06

Creator(s)

Unknown

In a recent speech, Representative Humphreys suggested that some Southerners would be willing to accept a reduction of their representation in Congress in return for a repeal of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Humphreys portrayed the amendment as an “incubus” that was sapping the South’s liberties. The article’s creator faults Humphreys for his ignorance and states that the Fifteenth Amendment will never be repealed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-06

Creator(s)

Unknown

Stuyvesant Fish argues that the Interstate Commerce Commission is weak as it is a branch of the government not laid out in the Constitution. He urges President Roosevelt to express his wishes in the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-01-20

Creator(s)

Presidential Office Staff

Stuyvesant Fish believes the Interstate Commerce Commission is weak due to its anomalous nature within the government. He suggests the Commission could be strengthened by subordinating it to a Cabinet Minister, most likely the future Secretary of the proposed Department of Commerce.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-01-20

Creator(s)

Fish, Stuyvesant, 1851-1923

Article discussing how similar President Roosevelt’s message to Congress was to his message a year ago. The message covers trusts, amending the Constitution if needed, the United States monetary system, and the Panama Canal.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-12-03

Creator(s)

Unknown

Newspaper article calling for President Roosevelt to “take the wolf by the ears” and do so in a timely fashion to settle the Anthracite Coal Strike.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-10

Creator(s)

Unknown

General Rosser thanks Senator McLaurin for the letter concerning the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution. Rosser hopes to call a conference to discuss “negro suffrage” which he believes will inevitably be limited in the southern United States. He suggests altering the 15th amendment to prevent discrimination in federal elections but allowing states to handle their own affairs.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-12-18

Creator(s)

Rosser, Thomas Lafayette, 1836-1910

Senator McLaurin explains his position on African American suffrage and repealing the 15th Amendment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-12-19

Creator(s)

McLaurin, John Lowndes, 1860-1934

Text of a proposed amendment to the Constitution presented by Representative John James Jenkins to give Congress the power to regulate commerce, with a supporting speech by Jenkins.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-12-19

Creator(s)

Unknown