The Philadelphia Convention (now also known as the Constitutional Convention, the Federal Convention, or the Grand Convention at Philadelphia) took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania has 51 miles of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km) of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary, to address problems in governing the United States of America ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, customarily referred to as the Articles of Confederation, was the first constitution of the United States of America and legally established the union of the states. The Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to draft the Articles in June 1776 and sent the draft to the states for following independence from Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801. It was created by the merger of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, under the Acts of Union 1707, to create a single kingdom encompassing the whole of the island of Great. Although the Convention was purportedly intended only to revise the Articles of Confederation, the intention of many of its proponents, chief among them James Madison James Madison was an American politician and political philosopher who served as the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher. Aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, he was a leader of nationalist forces calling for a new Constitution; he was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and wrote, was from the outset to create a new government rather than fix the existing one. The delegates elected George Washington George Washington served as the first constitutional President of the United States from 1789 to 1797, and as the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. His role in the revolution and subsequent independence and formation of the United States was significant, and is seen by Americans as the " to preside over the convention. The result of the Convention was the United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America and the federal government of the United States. It provides the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the. The Convention is one of the central events in the history of the United States The first residents of what is now the United States emigrated from Asia over 15,000 years ago by crossing Beringia into Alaska. Archaeological evidence of these peoples, the ancestors of the Native Americans dates to 14,000 years ago.

Historical context

Before the Constitution was drafted, the thirteen colonies operated under the Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, customarily referred to as the Articles of Confederation, was the first constitution of the United States of America and legally established the union of the states. The Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to draft the Articles in June 1776 and sent the draft to the states for, created by the Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met beginning on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774, also in Philadelphia. The second Congress managed the. The national government that operated under the Articles of Confederation was too weak to adequately regulate the various conflicts that arose between the states.^[1] These divides included a dispute between Maryland and Virginia over the Potomac River and Rhode Island's imposing taxes on all traffic passing through it on the post road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts that evolved into the first major highways in the United States. The Upper Post Road was originally called the Pequot Path and had been in use by native Americans long before Europeans arrived. Some of these important native trails had been that linked all the states. As the Articles of Confederation could only be amended by unanimous vote of the states, any state had effective veto power over any proposed change.^[2] In addition, the Articles gave the weak federal government no taxing power: it was wholly dependent on the states for its money, and had no power to force delinquent states to pay.^[3]

On January 21, 1786, the Virginia Legislature, following James Madison James Madison was an American politician and political philosopher who served as the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States's recommendation, invited all the states to send delegates to Annapolis Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It has a population of 36,524 , and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, 26 miles (42 km) south of Baltimore and about 29 miles (47 km) east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is part of the Baltimore-Washington, Maryland Maryland is a major center for life sciences research and development. With more than 350 biotechnology companies located there, Maryland is the third-largest nexus in this field in the United States to discuss ways to reduce these interstate conflicts.^[1] At what came to be known as the Annapolis Convention, the few state delegates in attendance endorsed a motion that called for all states to meet in Philadelphia on May 14,1787 to discuss ways to improve the Articles of Confederation in a "Grand Convention."^[1] Rhode Island, fearing that the Convention would work to its disadvantage, boycotted the Convention entirely in hopes of preventing any change to the Articles, and when the Constitution was presented to the states, refused to ratify it.

Delegates

The 55 delegates A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level (e.g., trade talks or an environmental summit between governments; an arbitration over an industrial dispute; or a meeting of student unions from individual colleges at a national student union conference) who drafted the Constitution included many of the Founding Fathers The Founding Fathers of the United States were the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or otherwise took part in the American Revolution in winning American independence from Great Britain, or who participated in framing and adopting the United States Constitution in 1787-1788, or in putting the new government of the new nation. Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). Jefferson was one of the most influential Founding Fathers, known for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States. Jefferson envisioned America as the force behind a great ", who was Minister to France There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty. The American diplomatic relationship with France has continued throughout that country's five republican regimes, two periods of French empire, the during the convention, characterized the delegates as an assembly of "demi-gods."^[1] John Adams John Adams was an American politician and political philosopher and the second President of the United States (1797–1801), after being the first Vice President of the United States (1789–1797) for two terms. He was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States also did not attend, being abroad in Europe as Minister to Great Britain The office of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (known formally as Ambassador to the Court of St. James's) was traditionally, and still is very much so today due to the Special Relationship, the most prestigious position in the United States Foreign Service. The ambassadorship has been held by various notable politicians, including, but he wrote home to encourage the delegates. Patrick Henry Patrick Henry served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786. A prominent figure in the American Revolution, Henry is known and remembered for his "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" speech, and as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Along with Samuel was also absent; he refused to go because he "smelt a rat in Philadelphia, tending toward the monarchy." Also absent were John Hancock John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that " and Samuel Adams Samuel Adams was a statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American republicanism that shaped the political culture of the United. Rhode Island refused to send delegates to the convention.

(*) Did not sign the final draft of the U.S. Constitution.

The Convention

Due to the difficulty of travel in the late 1700s, very few of the selected delegates were present on the designated day of May 14, 1787, and it was not until May 25 that a quorum of seven states was secured. The convention convened in the Pennsylvania State House, and George Washington was unanimously elected as president of the convention.^[4] Although William Jackson was elected as secretary, Madison's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 remain the most complete record of the convention.^[1]

Deliberations

Virginia Plan

Prior to the start of the convention, the Virginian delegates met, and using Madison's thoughts, work, and notes, came up with what came to be known as the Virginia Plan, also known as the Large State Plan.^[5] For this reason, James Madison is sometimes called the Father of the Constitution.^[5] Presented by Virginia governor Edmund Randolph on May 29, 1787, the Virginia Plan proposed a very powerful bicameral legislature.^[5] Both houses of the legislature would be determined proportionately.^[5] The lower house would be elected by the people, and the upper house would be elected by the lower house.^[5] The executive would exist solely to ensure that the will of the legislature was carried out and would therefore be selected by the legislature.^[5] The Virginia Plan also created a judiciary, and gave both the executive and some of the judiciary the power to veto, subject to override.

Plan of Charles Pinckney

Immediately after Randolph finished laying out the Virginia Plan, Charles Pinckney of South Carolina presented his own plan to the Convention. As Pinckney did not supply a hard copy, the only evidence we have are Madison's notes,^[6] so the details are somewhat sketchy. It was a confederation, or treaty, among the 13 states. There was to be a bicameral legislature made up of a Senate and a House of Delegates. The House would have one member for every one thousand inhabitants. The House would elect Senators who would serve by rotation for four years and represent one of four regions. Congress would meet in a joint session to elect a President, and would also appoint members of the cabinet. Congress, in joint session, would serve as the court of appeal of last resort in disputes between states. Pinckney did also provide for a supreme Federal Judicial Court. The Pinckney plan was not debated, but it may have been referred to by the Committee of Detail.^[7]

New Jersey Plan

After the Virginia Plan was introduced, New Jersey delegate William Paterson asked for an adjournment to contemplate the Plan.^[5] Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had equal representation in Congress, exercising one vote each.^[5] The Virginia Plan threatened to limit the smaller states' power by making both houses of the legislature proportionate to population. On 14 and 15 June 1787, a small-state caucus met to create a response to the Virginia Plan. The result was the New Jersey Plan, otherwise known as the Small State Plan.^[5]

Paterson's New Jersey Plan was ultimately a rebuttal to the Virginia Plan, and was much closer to the initial call for the Convention: drafting amendments to the Articles of Confederation to fix the problems in it.^[5] Under the New Jersey Plan, the existing Continental Congress would remain, but it would be granted new powers, such as the power to levy taxes and force their collection.^[5] An executive branch was created, to be elected by Congress (the plan allowed for a multi-person executive).^[5] The executives would serve a single term and were subject to recall on the request of state governors.^[5] The plan also created a judiciary that would serve for life, to be appointed by the executives.^[5] Lastly, any laws set by Congress would take precedence over state laws.^[5] When Paterson reported the plan to the convention on June 15, 1787, it was ultimately rejected, but it gave the smaller states a rallying point for their interests.^[5]

Hamilton's Plan

Unsatisfied with the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan, Alexander Hamilton proposed his own plan. It also was known as the British Plan, because of its resemblance to the British system of strong centralized government.^[5] In his plan, Hamilton advocated eliminating state sovereignty and consolidating the states into a single nation.^[5] The plan featured a bicameral legislature, the lower house elected by the people for three years. The upper house would be elected by electors chosen by the people and would serve for life.^[5] The plan also gave the Governor, an executive elected by electors for a life-term of service, an absolute veto over bills.^[5] State governors would be appointed by the national legislature,^[5] and the national legislature had veto power over any state legislation.^[5]

Hamilton presented his plan to the Convention on June 18, 1787.^[5] The plan was perceived as a well-thought-out plan, but it was not considered, because it resembled the British system too closely.^[5] It also contemplated the loss of all state authority, which the states were unwilling to allow.

Connecticut Compromise

The Connecticut Compromise, forged by Roger Sherman from Connecticut, was proposed on June 11.^[5] It blended the Virginia (large-state) and New Jersey (small-state) proposals. Sherman suggested a two-house national legislature, but proposed "That the proportion of suffrage in the 1st. branch [house] should be according to the respective numbers of free inhabitants; and that in the second branch or Senate, each State should have one vote and no more."^[5] Although Sherman was well liked and respected among the delegates, his plan failed at first. It was not until July 23 that representation was finally settled.^[5]

Slavery

Among the most controversial issues confronting the delegates was that of slavery. Slaves accounted for about one-fifth of the population in the American colonies.^{[8][broken citation]} Most of them lived in the Southern colonies, where slaves made up 40 percent of the population.^[8] Whether slavery was to be regulated under the new Constitution was a matter of conflict between the North and South, with several Southern states refusing to join the Union if slavery was not allowed.

One of the most contentious slavery-related issue was the question of whether slaves would be counted as part of the population in determining representation in Congress or considered property not entitled to representation.^[8] Delegates from states with a large population of slaves argued that slaves should be considered persons in determining representation, but as property if the new government were to levy taxes on the states on the basis of population.^[8] Delegates from states where slavery had disappeared or almost disappeared argued that slaves should be included in taxation, but not in determining representation.^[8]

Finally, delegate James Wilson proposed the Three-Fifths Compromise.^[5] This was eventually adopted by the convention.

Another issue at the Convention was what should be done about the slave trade. Ten states had already outlawed it.^[8] Many delegates heatedly denounced it, but the three states, Georgia and the two Carolinas, that allowed it threatened to leave the convention if the trade were banned.^[8] They postponed the decision on the slave trade because of its contentious nature. The delegates to the Convention did not want its ratification to fail because of the conflict over slavery.^[8] Therefore, a special committee worked out another compromise: Congress would have the power to ban the importation of slaves, but not until at least 20 years had passed, in 1808.^[5]

Drafting and signing

In late July, the convention appointed a Committee of Detail to draft a document based on the agreements that had been reached. After another month of discussion and refinement, a second committee, the Committee of Style and Arrangement, headed by Gouverneur Morris, and including Hamilton, William Samuel Johnson, Rufus King, and Madison, produced the final version, which was submitted for signing on September 17. Morris is credited, both now and then, as the chief draftsman of the final document, including the stirring preamble.

Not all the delegates were pleased with the results; some left before the ceremony, and three of those remaining refused to sign: Edmund Randolph, George Mason of Virginia, and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts. George Mason demanded a Bill of Rights if he was to support the Constitution. The Bill of Rights was not included in the Constitution submitted to the states for ratification, but many states ratified the Constitution with the understanding that a bill of rights would soon follow.^[9] Of the 39 delegates who did sign, probably no one was completely satisfied. Their views were summed up by Benjamin Franklin, who said,

"There are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. ... I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better Constitution. ... It therefore astonishes me, Sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does; and I think it will astonish our enemies..."

The Constitution was then submitted to the states for ratification, pursuant to its own Article VII.

See also

• Founding Fathers of the United States
• Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787
• History of the United States
• Constitution Day (United States)
• Timeline of the United States Constitution
• National Constitution Center

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Lloyd, Gordon. "Introduction to the Constitutional Convention" (in English). http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/intro.html. Retrieved October 6 2007.
2. ^ Articles of Confederation, Art. 13.
3. ^ Art. 8.
4. ^ Bent, Devin. ""Constitutional Convention Overview"" (in English). http://www.jmu.edu/madison/gpos225-madison2/adopt.htm}. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac} US Constitution.net. "Constitutional Topic: The Constitutional Convention" (in English). http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_ccon.html. Retrieved October 17 2007.
6. ^ The Plan of Charles Pinckney (South Carolina), Presented to the Federal Convention, May 29, 1787. "The Avalon Project at Yale Law School" (in English). http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/const/pinckney.htm. Retrieved November 28 2007.
7. ^ The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 reported by James Madison : May 29. "The Avalon Project at Yale Law School" (in English). http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/debates/529.htm#23. Retrieved November 28 2007.
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Constitutional Rights Foundation. "The Constitution and Slavery" (in English). http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.crf-usa.org/lessons/slavery_const.htm. Retrieved November 21 2007.
9. ^ National Archives. "Bill of Rights" (in English). http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/bill_of_rights.html. Retrieved November 21 2007.

External links

• USConstitution.net - The Constitutional Convention
• The Original Source Documents from The Constitutional Convention
• Founders' Blog-Republishing Madison's notes on the convention 220 years later
• TeachingAmericanHistory.org - The Constitutional Convention
• Transcription from the Report from the Grand Compromise Committee
• National Constitution Center
• EDSITEment Lesson Plan: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 (from the National Endowment for the Humanities)

Categories: American Revolution | Political history of the United States | History of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Constitutional conventions | United States Constitution | 1787 in the United States

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