As a first act of the new Congress, nearly a third of House members, both Republicans and Democrats, joined in the first-ever reading aloud of the Constitution on the floor of the House. But Republicans omitted some passages, such as a formula that counts slaves as three-fifths of a person, a requirement that escaped slaves be returned to their owners, the amendment banning 鈥渋ntoxicating liquors鈥 as well as the one repealing that ban.

YouTube
Members of the House of Representatives read the Constitution Thursday in this screen capture from YouTube.