When You Are Sworn In

When a mayor, trustee, officer of the NCVOA or other New York public officer takes his or her
oath of office, he or she swears or affirms support of the US and NYS Constitutions. If you
would like to read them, here are links:

US CONSTITUTION — https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/
NYS CONSTITUTION — https://www.dos.ny.gov/info/constitution/

You might be interested in the following constitutional related facts:
About the US Constitution–
It became effective in 1788 when New Hampshire, the ninth state, ratified it.
It contains 4,543 words. 7,591 with its 27 amendments.
It is the oldest and shortest written constitution of any major government in the world.

Imagine creating a document that governs your grandchildren’s grandchildren’s grandchildren.

The word “democracy” and “God” do not appear.

Of all of its spelling errors, “Pensylvania” at the signatures probably is most glaring. It is
similarly misspelled on the Liberty Bell.

When signed, the population of the US was 4,000,000 and Philadelphia, its largest city,
had 40,000 inhabitants

Originally it was proposed that the president be elected by popular vote. But, after 60
ballots, it was changed to provide for the Electoral College which was the subject of a June
2020 Supreme Court decision.

In 1789 Congress sent to the states 12 proposed amendments. Numbers three through
12 were adopted as the Bill of Rights in 1791. So proposed amendment three is the first
amendment. Normally there is a seven-year limit (which can be extended) for a proposed
amendment to be adopted. That was not in effect for the first 12 proposed. The second
proposed amendment, dealing with Congressional pay raises, was ratified by the 38th state
(Michigan) and became the 27th and last amendment in 1992. That was 203 years after its
introduction.

There have been approximately 11,000 proposed amendments.

Vermont ratified the Constitution in 1791 before becoming a state.

Alexander Hamilton signed it for New York.

The first Congressional session was convened in April 1789 in New York City, the nation’s
capital.

George Washington was inaugurated as the first president later that month on the second
floor balcony of Federal Hall, 26 Wall Street. It was the first NYC City Hall.

About the NYS Constitution–
New York has adopted four constitutions (1777, 1821, 1846, and 1894) and held eight
constitutional conventions (1801, 1821, 1846, 1867, 1894, 1915, 1938, and 1967). The
Constitution of 1894, revised in 1938 and amended over 200 times, remains in place today.

It contains 56,326 words.

We dare you to read it and to try to understand it. There are passages about bonuses for
World War II veterans. Clauses that govern how public debt shall be used to eliminate railroad
crossings. And when tiny communities in the Adirondacks want to improve their water systems
or electric grids, they have to get a constitutional amendment passed.