U.S. citizens value their constitution, despite its flaws. It has had its faults over the past two centuries. Some of these big ones have already been rectified, such as slavery or Prohibition. But many more minor grammatical errors remain in the constitution.
The Constitutional Convention was led by James Madison and drafted the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Jacob Shallus was a Pennsylvania State Assembly clerk who, on September 15, 1787, began to commit the document to "final form." He used pen and ink as it was then.
According to the National Archives, Schallus did a "good job" inscribing more than four thousand words on four parchment paper sheets. However, that doesn't mean Shallus didn't cause any error. Neither were any other people involved in the amendment and signing of the document. Many errors were substantive. Many were grammatical errors. Some might involve a combination of the two. Here is the discussion of all.
The Constitutional Convention was led by James Madison and drafted the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Jacob Shallus was a Pennsylvania State Assembly clerk who, on September 15, 1787, began to commit the document to "final form." He used pen and ink as it was then.
According to the National Archives, Schallus did a "good job" inscribing more than four thousand words on four parchment paper sheets. However, that doesn't mean Shallus didn't cause any error. Neither were any other people involved in the amendment and signing of the document. Many errors were substantive. Many were grammatical errors. Some might involve a combination of the two. Here is the discussion of all.
Use 'it's' Instead of 'its'
In Article 1, Section 10, there is a statement "No State shall ... lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its Inspection Laws”. The clause uses the word "it’s" to mean the possessive of "it."
However, the word is spelled like it was a contraction of "it" and "is" (i.e. it’s). The use of "its" in other sections of this Constitution is correct (In Article I, Section 5 “its” correctly used four times), so the mistake seems more to be due to careless transcription rather than a failure to understand the rules of grammar.
A President? Which President?
It is also a little confusing that Article II, Section 1, deals with the minor grammatical mistake that is "a" president. This could have been started using the word "the" rather than "a," which would indicate that only one person at any given time would be able to have the administrative authority.
Misspelling of Pennsylvania
Alexander Hamilton assisted in signing the constitution by writing the names of the states that signatories defined. Hamilton penned "Pensylvania" leaving out the second "n" in "Pennsylvania," and it has not been corrected since. It is ironic, given that the Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia. It is one of the general mistakes that every U.S. citizen should know.
Alexander Hamilton assisted in signing the constitution by writing the names of the states that signatories defined. Hamilton penned "Pensylvania" leaving out the second "n" in "Pennsylvania," and it has not been corrected since. It is ironic, given that the Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia. It is one of the general mistakes that every U.S. citizen should know.
British Spellings
The constitution uses many standard British spellings, even though the U.S. has declared its sovereignty from the British. The British words include "defense". "control". It is spelled as "control" in American English. "Labour" is spelled as "labor" in American English.
Choose to use 'chuse'
U.S. Constitution.net states that the most typical error is "choose," spelled as 'chuse many times in the constitution. However, this could be a choice to use an alternative spelling than the one used at the time. The constitution contains both "chuse" as well as "chusing."
U.S. Constitution.net states that the most typical error is "choose," spelled as 'chuse many times in the constitution. However, this could be a choice to use an alternative spelling than the one used at the time. The constitution contains both "chuse" as well as "chusing."
A Comma Is Used Between Two Nouns or Verbs
If a noun or verb is to be used together in a sentence's clause, it must also contain both verbs. Section I of Article III deals with the punctuation error. It says, "The Judiciary Power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court."
Inconsistent capitalization
From the 1700s, it was common to write the first letter for every noun in upper case. The Preamble has many words that have capitalization mistakes, such as "defense" this word was spelled everywhere in small letters. The other words are "present" "duty." These are the common capitalization errors in the constitution. The grammar rules for capitalization have not changed in the past decade.
From the 1700s, it was common to write the first letter for every noun in upper case. The Preamble has many words that have capitalization mistakes, such as "defense" this word was spelled everywhere in small letters. The other words are "present" "duty." These are the common capitalization errors in the constitution. The grammar rules for capitalization have not changed in the past decade.