Article the First

[Keith Broaders]

Originally Proposed First Amendment

After the first enumeration required by the first article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor less than one Representative for every forty thousand persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to two hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall not be less than two hundred Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every fifty thousand persons.^[5]

In order for all of the people to be equally represented in the Congress, all of the Congressional District must be the same size. The originally proposed First Amendment limited that Congressional District could not exceed 50,000.

This amendment was proposed to the states on September 25, 1789 

It is generally b\elieved that for the amendment to be ratified it needed the approval three-fourths of 13 or 9.75 states. 

The Constitution was considered ratified when 9 of 13 states ratidied it. If it took just 9 states to ratify the Constitution it should take 9 states to ratify the orogonally proposed Frirst Amendmen

Here is the proof that this amendment is two votes short of being lawfully ratified.

1. New Jersey: November 20, 1789
2. Maryland: December 19, 1789
3. South Carolina: January 19, 1790
4. New Hampshire: January 25, 1790
5. New York: February 24, 1790
6. Pennsylvania: September 21, 1791 (after rejecting it on March 10, 1790)
7. Virginia: November 3, 1791

Connecticut, Georfia, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rdode Island and North Carolina did no initially ratify the proposed amendment. If the legislatures two of the seven staes voted to ratify the originally proposed amendment it would become the 28th Amendm 

In order to particpate in the ratification of an amendment only the states that existed when the amendment was first proposed has a right to participate in the ratification process.

Only the original 13 states were eligible yo vote on the originallu proposed First Amendment.