Talk:Nathaniel Gorham

Picture
Wikipedia administrators. I have a site here that has a picture of Nathaniel on it. I somehow can't edit it onto th e site. Please do it for me. Here is the link: http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/gorham/gorham.htm  20:37, April 1, 2005

Role at Constitutional Convention
I've clarified in the article that Gorham was not "assistant president" of the Convention, serving when George Washington was "unable" to preside. Rather, Gorham acted as chairman when the Convention was assembled into the Committee of the Whole. Under parliamentary practice (and in the United States House of Representatives even today), when the convention resolved into committee, a member other than the President was designated to preside, and at the Constitutional Convention that was generally Gorham. Newyorkbrad 03:38, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

? citation
The statement "Nathaniel Gorham's descendants number in the thousands today" has a citation, but it appears that that information cannot be found in the source.--Ishtar456 (talk) 18:15, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

Found the information at a new address, and corrected this link and one other (see history). --Bill1229 (talk) 00:00, 6 July 2012 (UTC)

President of the United States in Congress Assembled
It is specious to label Nathaniel Gorham as a President of the Continental Congress. Although you have changed my edits of Nathaniel Gorham back to a Continental Congress President, perhaps you can leave this post on the talk page to help your readers discern which listing - President of the Continental Congress or President of the United States in Congress Assembled is correct. A brief case that the Continental Congress expired with the ratification of the Articles of Confederation and the offices had significant differences is as follows:

Although the Articles of Confederation was passed by the U.S. Continental Congress on November 15th, 1777, this Constitution of 1777 required the unanimous ratification by all the 13 states. Maryland was the last state to adopt the Articles of Confederation, completing its ratification on February 2, 1781. On February 22, 1781, it was unanimously resolved by Congress that:

The delegates of Maryland having taken their seats in Congress with powers to sign the Articles of Confederation: "Ordered, That Thursday next [March 1, 1781] be assigned for compleating the Confederation; and that a committee of three be appointed, to consider and report a mode for announcing the same to the public: the members, [Mr. George] Walton, Mr. [James] Madison, Mr. [John] Mathews."

The March 1st, 1781, enacted Constitution of 1777 provided for a unicameral governing body called the United States in Congress Assembled (USCA) to govern the United States of America. The USCA was charged " .. to appoint one of their members to preside, provided that no person be allowed to serve in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years."

On March 2nd, 1781, the Delegates, who were duly elected after each State had ratified the Articles of Confederation, convened in Philadelphia as the United States in Congress Assembled with Samuel Huntington presiding as the first USCA President. Additionally, George Washington continued to serve as General and Commander-in-Chief of the United States Continental Army.

The Constitution of 1777 Presidency, although similar to its predecessor, was a different and weaker office then that of the U.S. Continental Congress Presidency.

For instance, the Continental Congress Presidents, who served from September 5, 1774 to February 28, 1781, presided over a government that could enact legislation binding all 13 States with only a seven state quorum as opposed to the nine state minimum required by the Constitution of 1777. Additionally, Continental Congress Presidents, who decided what legislation came before Congress, often found themselves as the sole vote for their state, giving them a 1/7th to 1/13th vote over crucial legislation, appointments, judicial decisions, and even military orders enacted during the Revolutionary War. After March 1, 1781, the Constitution of 1777 mandated that two or more delegates must be present from each state for that delegation to be marked present and be eligible to vote in the new USCA government. Therefore, on March 2nd, 1781, the first act of the USCA was to disqualify both New Hampshire and Rhode Island from voting in the new assembly because they each had only one delegate present.

On May 4, 1781, to further weaken presidential powers, Congress passed the "Rules for conducting business in the United States in Congress assembled." that stripped the President of his power to control the congressional agenda which, was a tactic that the presiding officers (especially Henry Laurens) had expertly wielded as Continental Congress Presidents. These new USCA rules even went so far as to eliminate the President's prerogative to continue the debate, before a second to the motion was brought to the floor.

"Rule 10. When a motion is made and seconded it shall be repeated by the President or If he or any other member desire being in writing it shall be delivered to the President in writing and read aloud at the table before it, shall be debated."

There are numerous other examples on the differences between the two offices that range from the USCA's Committee of the States experiment to govern the USA by a "Board of Directors" without the USCA President at its head to John Hanson's success in championing the congressional resolution that moved the bulk of his presidential correspondence duties to USCA Secretary Charles Thomson. Moreover, USCA Foreign Secretaries Robert R. Livingston and John Jay took over most of the U.S. Presidential duties of entertaining foreign diplomats and dignitaries under the Articles of Confederation government.

Nathaniel Gorham served as the President of the United States in Congress Assembled and not as President of the Continental Congress. To view the primary sources supporting this fact go to http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_Pu5PAiP_g/UOX0C4AiqhI/AAAAAAAADe0/tvVawnkqk5M/s1600/AA+AC.jpg and for documents signed by Nathaniel Gorham as President of the United States in Congress Assembled please go here -- www.nathanielgorham.com -- Stas.klos (talk) 14:49, 24 January 2013 (UTC)

Cited source say 9 children
Reverted change based on source cited. - - MrBill3 (talk) 23:55, 19 December 2014 (UTC)

Overall Quality of Article
The overall quality of this article is questionable. I found some vandalism which I removed, however I am not sure about the validity of other information presented. In particular the List of Descendents section is questionable as it contains members of the Adams family but I see no connection to the Adams family and Nathaniel Gorham.