The First Meeting of Congress

The Constitution of the United States came into effect when New Hampshire became the Ninth State to ratify it. (Article VII - "The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same."). That occured on June 21st 1788. However the Institutions came into existence on 4th March 1789. That was the date set for the opening of the 1st Congress.

There is a detailed description of the events of that day in Robert Remini's excellent history of the House of Representatives - "The House". I would thoroughly recommend the book to anyone interrested in American History - but particularly the history of the House of Representatives. It is both a good read (and I've read it straight through on a number of occasions), and an excellent research resource (of which I make frequent use).



The day was one of great ceremony. Flags flew around the city of New York, which was host to the new Government. The centre of attention was Federal Hall - which wasw at that time New York's City Hall. It had been converted for the nation's use by Pierre-Charles L'Enfant. Sadly, while the crowds were there, few elected Congressmen were. Travel had been hampered by the poor states of many "roads" - many "mired in mud, riddled with potholes or washed away by floodwaters". Ice-packed rivers also presented an obstacle. It was only on 1st April that the number needed for business - a quorum - was reached.

Questions About Public Bill Committees

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the benefits to the legislative process of public reading stages for bills.

Sir George Young: I have been asked to reply.

The public reading stage will improve public engagement with Parliament by giving individuals a chance to participate in the legislative process and improve the quality of legislation by taking into account the views of those who might otherwise not contribute. The current pilot public reading of the Protection of Freedoms Bill will provide the basis for a further assessment of the merits of the process.

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proposals he has for the (a) minimum and (b) maximum amount of time for public reading stages of Bills.

Sir George Young: I have been asked to reply.

Public reading stage will normally begin when a Bill is published and end in time for the points raised by members of the public to be taken into account during proceedings in the Public Bill Committee.

Dr Richard Price

"Dr Price has been described as one of the greatest Welshmen ever. He was a great advocate of freedom and equality, becoming a leading libertarian and dissenter of that time. He supported the America in its War of Independence against Britain and the principles of the French Revolution."


Richard Price born at Tynton, Llangeinor, Glamorgan, (in the Garw Valley) on 23 February 1723. Like some other notable men of his age, his genius was not limited to one subject. He was a mathematician, a preacher and a political philosopher. His advice was sought by British Prime Ministers (the Earl of Shelburne & William Pitt the Younger - on financial reform); the Continental Congress in America in 1778. Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and John Adams visited his home in Newington Green, London.

One of his works "Observations on the Nature of Civil Liberty, the Principles of Government, and the Justice and Policy of the War with America" (1776) can be accessed here.

Local Courts in the USA

In England and Wales we have a single legal system - which has criminal and civil aspects. In the United States the state legal system (for example that of Virginia, Maryland, Wisconsin or California) exists alongside the Federal legal system.

Virginia State Courts

"There is a general district court in each city and county in Virginia. The general district court handles traffic violations, hears minor criminal cases known as misdemeanors, and conducts preliminary hearings for more serious criminal cases called felonies.


General district courts have exclusive authority to hear civil cases with claims of $4,500 or less and share authority with the circuit courts to hear cases with claims between $4,500 and $15,000. Examples of civil cases are landlord and tenant disputes, contract disputes and personal injury actions."

"The circuit court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in Virginia; this means that the court has authority to try a full range of cases both civil and criminal. Civil cases involve disputes essentially private in nature between two or more parties; criminal cases are controversies between the State and persons accused of a crime. Only in a circuit court is a jury provided for the trial of these disputes and controversies."
A diagram of the Virginia State Court structure is accessible here.

Federal Courts

"The United States district courts are the trial courts of the federal court system. Within limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the district courts have jurisdiction to hear nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil and criminal matters. Every day hundreds of people across the nation are selected for jury duty and help decide some of these cases.

There are 94 federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three territories of the United States -- the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands -- have district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases."

A diagram of the structure is available here.

So in Alexandria, Virginia you will find

STATE

The Alexandria General District Court at 520 King Street
The Alexandria Circuit Court at 520 King Street
(The Court of Appeals and the Virginia Supreme Court are 100 miles away in Richmond)

FEDERAL

Virginia Eastern District Court at 401 Courthouse Square
Virginia Eastern Bankruptcy Court at 200 South Washington Street

St David

As a Welshman (well to be strictly correct, of Welsh ancestry - I was born in a part of Coventry - which at the time was in the district of Meridan - which is the geographic centre of England), I will today be celebrating the Welsh national day. St David was a welshman (note to my English & Scottish friends - it's a good idea to have as your patron saint someone from the country! St Andrew was from Palestine and St George - if he ever existed! - would have been Turkish), born in the late fifth or early sixth century. He was both the founder of many churches, (including the 'bed-hus' or chapel, which he is said to have founded in the village of "Betws" where my mother's family come from.) and an able administrator.

A webpage about St David can be found here.

If you are thinking about visiting Wales - the Tourist Board's website is here.

Many famous Americans have Welsh ancestry - including Presidents Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Harrison, Lincoln, Garfield, and Nixon; Confederate President Jefferson Davis; Vice President Hubert Humphrey - Secretary of State Clinton and many others.

There is a book about the 150 most famous Welsh Americans.