Editor’s note: This is the full text version of the speech Bob Riley gave in his inaugural address Monday.

My fellow Alabamians, On Thursday, June 28, 1787, the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia was in turmoil, split among itself and embroiled in a bitter battle over how this new nation called America would be governed. Tensions were high on both sides. Several delegates even walked out. Then, Benjamin Franklin rose to speak in this moment of crisis and said:

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