Omar Bennett
The U.S. Constitution is one of the most important documents in the country's history, but that didn't stop it from containing several grammatical errors and inconsistencies. The original text of the Preamble to the Indian Constitution omitted the words secular and socialist, sparking controversy. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar argued that the term secular was unnecessary as the entire Constitution embodied the concept of a secular state, and including socialist would go against the grain of democracy by deciding the type of society people should live in. These two words were later added to the Constitution in 1976 for political reasons.
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What You'll Learn
- Scribal errors: Jacob Shallus, the scribe, made several mistakes, including omissions, in the original parchment
- Printing inconsistencies: Early printers copied the text by hand, leading to the propagation of errors and irregularities
- Hyphen usage: The Constitution uses twenty five instead of the grammatically correct twenty-five
- Capitalization inconsistencies: While capitalizing nouns was common in the 1700s, the Constitution inconsistently capitalizes words like defence
- Secular and socialist: The original Indian Constitution omitted secular and socialist to allow people to decide their social organization
Scribal errors: Jacob Shallus, the scribe, made several mistakes, including omissions, in the original parchment
The original copy of the U.S. Constitution was penned by Jacob Shallus, the assistant clerk of the Pennsylvania legislature. Shallus had the task of inscribing the more than 4,000 words of the Constitution by hand, across four large sheets of parchment. He completed this work in a short amount of time, over a weekend, following the adjournment of the Convention on Saturday, September 15, 1787. Given the time constraints, Shallus did an admirable job, but he did make several mistakes, including omissions.
Shallus had to go back and correct many of his errors, inserting a word or two between the lines to rectify omissions. In one instance, he even resorted to using a penknife to scrape away an entire line of text near the bottom of page one, which left behind a roughed-up band that now appears grey from grime. Shallus also made mistakes in his corrective notations. For example, he wrote of "the Word 'the' being interlined between the forty-third and forty-fourth Lines of the second Page," but this insertion actually appears six lines further down, between lines 49 and 50. Shallus also overlooked another insertion of "the," just two lines below the last error mentioned in his note.
While Shallus' errors may stand out, they are not the only ones in the document. Alexander Hamilton, who assisted in writing the names of states next to the signatories' names, wrote "Pensylvania" next to Benjamin Franklin's name, omitting the second "n." This was an ironic error, given that the Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia. Additionally, inconsistencies in capitalization are evident throughout the document. For example, "defence" in the preamble is lowercase, whereas it would typically be capitalized in American English.
The propagation of these errors and irregularities in the early prints of the Constitution can also be attributed to the printers of that time. A casual attitude towards details of punctuation and orthography was prevalent among printers and publishers, which allowed errors to multiply. Thus, while Shallus made several mistakes, including omissions, in the original parchment, the final version of the Constitution that was propagated also included errors introduced by printers.
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Printing inconsistencies: Early printers copied the text by hand, leading to the propagation of errors and irregularities
The printing of the U.S. Constitution, which was originally transcribed by hand, has been subject to several inconsistencies and errors over the years. In the absence of a standardised official print, printers across the nation copied whatever version they had access to, leading to the propagation of errors and irregularities.
The earliest errors in the Constitution were made by the scribe, Jacob Shallus, who produced the engrossed (written in a fine round hand) parchment, and the printers who made early copies in September 1787. Shallus had a very short timeframe to produce the engrossed copy, and he had to make several corrections to his work. Many of these were omissions, which he attempted to rectify by inserting a word or two between the lines. However, he also used a penknife to scrape away an entire line of text near the bottom of the first page, which is still visible today. Shallus also made a mistake in one of his corrective notations, inserting the word "the" six lines away from where he noted it had been added.
The casual attitude towards details of punctuation and orthography prevalent among early printers and publishers allowed errors to multiply. John McLean of New York, the Confederation's printer, produced his own version of the Constitution with stylistic variations just days after Dunlap and Claypoole's print. William Hickey, a member of the Senate's clerical staff, noticed the inadequacies of the existing prints in the 1840s, commenting that a "printed copy (considered as correct) to print from, was found to contain several errors in the words, and sixty-five in the punctuation."
Beyond issues of punctuation, the Constitution also contains grammatical errors and inconsistencies. For example, in Article I, Section 2, the compound number "twenty five" is written without a hyphen, contrary to standard grammar rules. Additionally, the document retains British spellings such as "defence," "controul," and "labour," despite the United States having declared independence from Britain.
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Hyphen usage: The Constitution uses twenty five instead of the grammatically correct twenty-five
The United States Constitution is one of the most important documents in the country's history. However, it is not without its faults, and there are a few mistakes in the document. One such error pertains to hyphen usage. In Article I, Section 2, the phrase "twenty five" appears without a hyphen, whereas the grammatically correct version would be "twenty-five".
This inconsistency in hyphen usage may be attributed to the time constraints under which the scribe, Jacob Shallus, was working. Shallus had to transcribe over 4,000 words across four large sheets of parchment in a short period. Despite the pressure, he did an admirable job, and the minor errors found in the document are understandable given the challenging task.
The omission of the hyphen in "twenty five" is a matter of grammatical correctness. According to grammar rules, a hyphen is necessary in compound numbers, which are numbers made up of two words. In this case, "twenty" and "five" form a compound number, and the correct representation would be "twenty-five".
It is worth noting that the usage of hyphens has evolved over time, and there may be some variation in style guides and conventions. However, in modern grammar, the general rule is to hyphenate numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine when spelling them out. This rule ensures consistency and readability in written communication.
The Constitution's usage of "twenty five" instead of "twenty-five" highlights the evolving nature of language and punctuation. While the document was crafted with care, it also serves as a reminder that even the most important texts are subject to human error and the limitations of language conventions of their time.
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Capitalization inconsistencies: While capitalizing nouns was common in the 1700s, the Constitution inconsistently capitalizes words like defence
The U.S. Constitution, one of the most important documents in the country's history, is not without its faults and inconsistencies. While it is revered by many, the document has undergone several amendments to remedy its shortcomings, such as the issues of slavery and Prohibition.
One notable aspect of the Constitution's evolution is the capitalization inconsistencies found within the text. In the 1700s, when the Constitution was being drafted, it was common practice to capitalize all nouns. However, the Constitution exhibits inconsistent capitalization, with certain words, such as "defence" in the preamble, appearing in lowercase. This inconsistency extends to other words like "credit" in Article I, Section 8, and "duty" and "present" in Article I, Section 9.
The inconsistencies in capitalization may be attributed to the rushed nature of the document's production. Jacob Shallus, the scribe responsible for transcribing the Constitution, had to work within a tight timeframe, completing the task by hand across four large sheets of parchment. Shallus made several corrections to his initial draft, including inserting words and even scraping off an entire line of text.
The propagation of irregularities in early prints also contributed to the inconsistencies. Printers across the nation, such as Dunlap, Claypoole, and John McLean, produced their versions with slight stylistic variations due to a casual attitude toward punctuation and orthography. These variations led to the multiplication of errors and inconsistencies in the Constitution's text.
Additionally, the Bill of Rights, drafted two years after the Constitution, introduced further deviations from heavy capitalization, creating a notable contrast between the two documents. Despite these inconsistencies, the National Archives version of the Constitution is considered a close representation of the original text, and it continues to be a foundational document in American governance.
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Secular and socialist: The original Indian Constitution omitted secular and socialist to allow people to decide their social organization
The Indian Constitution is the country's supreme legal document and the longest written national constitution in the world. It was adopted in 1950 and replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the fundamental governing document. The Constitution lays out the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out the fundamental rights, directive principles, and duties of citizens.
The original Indian Constitution did not include the words "secular" and "socialist". These words were added in 1976 through the 42nd constitutional amendment during a period known as the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not function, and the judiciary was weakened. The inclusion of these two words in the Preamble to the Constitution has been a source of controversy, with some calling for their removal or review.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has openly called for the removal of the words "secular" and "socialist" from the Preamble. RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale argued that these words were added during a period of suspended fundamental rights and that their inclusion should be reconsidered. He questioned whether the ideology of socialism is eternal for India. The Congress party, on the other hand, has criticised these remarks as a "deliberate assault" on the Indian Constitution, stating that the RSS-BJP's ideology stands in direct opposition to it.
The Indian Constitution is deliberately worded in generalities to ensure its flexibility. By omitting "secular" and "socialist" from the original document, the framers of the Constitution allowed the people of India to decide their own social organisation and for the document to evolve over time through amendments. This flexibility is reflected in the numerous amendments that have been made to the Constitution since its adoption, including the addition of the two words that are the subject of this discussion.
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Frequently asked questions
The words 'secular' and 'socialist' were omitted from the Preamble to the Indian Constitution.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar reasoned that the term 'secular' was unnecessary as the entire Constitution embodied the concept of a secular state, which meant non-discrimination on the grounds of religion and equal rights and status to all citizens. He also argued that deciding what kind of society people should live in goes against the grain of democracy.
Yes, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi re-introduced the two words for political reasons in the 42nd Constitution Amendment of 1976.
There are numerous grammatical and spelling errors in the Constitution, such as inconsistent capitalisation, incorrect punctuation, and missing hyphens. There are also instances of incorrect word choice and misspelled words.
The Indian Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly of India, with significant contributions from B.R. Ambedkar, who is known as the "father of the Indian Constitution".
