BREAKFAST CLUB OF GRAND RAPIDS
Established 1936 – John A. Collins, President
EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON, GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN
Big E's Sports Grille
710 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026 – 7:00 AM
In the summer of 1787, a group of dedicated men gathered in an overheated building in Philadelphia and hammered out a document to replace the less than perfect Articles of Confederation. One by one the various states approved the document, but the New York legislature was slow to accept. Three men, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison wrote 85 arguments, known as the Federalist Papers, to convince New York of the need to join the other states.
Could the Constitutional Convention create a truly perfect document? Because the Constitution included the means to change provisions through amendments, the drafters knew that it was not a perfect document.
Jeff Polet, a retired Hope College professor, has completed his extensive analysis of all 85 Federalist Papers. He will bring the Constitution to the present continuing debates and will draw you in to a continuing study, possibly including how this document could be improved.
Invocation: Eric Nelson Introduction: Paul Chardoul
The Constitution
"By ensuring that no one in government has too much power, the Constitution helps protect ordinary Americans every day against abuse of power by those in authority." ~ John Roberts
"Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent, and that they cannot calculate for the possible change of things." ~ Alexander Hamilton
"Our Constitution protects aliens, drunks and U.S. Senators." ~ Will Rogers
"The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity – unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity." ~ Henry Clay
