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Return to Creating the United States Constitution List Previous Section: Road to the Constitution | Next Section: Constitution Legacy When delegates to the Constitutional Convention began to assemble at Philadelphia in May 1787, they quickly resolved to replace rather than merely revise the Articles of Confederation. Although James Madison is known as the “father of the constitution,” George Washington’s support gave the convention its hope of success. Division of power between branches of government and between the federal and state governments, slavery, trade, taxes, foreign affairs, representation, and even the procedure to elect a president were just a few of the contentious issues. Diverging plans, strong egos, regional demands, and states’ rights made solutions difficult. Five months of debate, compromise, and creative strategies produced a new constitution creating a federal republic with a strong central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. Ten months of public and private debate were required to secure ratification by the minimum nine states. Even then Rhode Island and North Carolina held out until after the adoption of a Bill of Rights.
Benjamin Franklin, Speech in Congress, June 11, 1787 Philadelphia, Birthplace of the ConstitutionPhiladelphia, the largest city in the American colonies, and its adjacent rural areas are depicted on this 1752 map. The first illustration of the city’s State House, later called Independence Hall, dominates the upper portion of the map. The map also identifies the owners of many individual properties. Philadelphia was, in essence, the capital of the United States during the Revolutionary War, and the State House was home to the second Continental Congress and the Federal Convention of 1787. Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj22 Discover! The Virginia PlanThe Virginia delegates to the Constitutional Convention, led by James Madison (1741–1836) and George Washington (1732–1799), prepared a plan of government that provided for proportional representation in a bicameral (two-house) legislature and a strong national government with veto power over state laws. Virginia’s governor, Edmund Randolph (1753–1813), who ultimately refused to sign the Constitution, presented the plan to the convention on May 29, 1787. The plan, designed to protect the interests of the large states in a strong, national republic, became the basis for debate.
Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj0 William Paterson Defends New Jersey PlanWilliam Paterson (1745–1806) presented a plan of government to the Convention that came to be called the “New Jersey Plan.” Paterson wanted to retain a unicameral (one-house) legislature with equal votes of states and have the national legislature elect the executive. This plan maintained the form of government under the Articles of Confederation while adding powers to raise revenue and regulate commerce and foreign affairs. William Paterson. Notes for Speeches in Convention, June 16, 1787. Manuscript. William Paterson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (59.01.00) [Digital ID# us0059_01p1] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj4 Discover! The New Jersey PlanThe New Jersey delegates to the Constitutional Convention, led by William Paterson (1745–1806) proposed an alternative to the Virginia Plan on June 15, 1787. The New Jersey Plan was designed to protect the security and power of the small states by limiting each state to one vote in Congress, as under the Articles of Confederation. Its acceptance would have doomed plans for a strong national government and minimally altered the Articles of Confederation.
Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj1 Back to Top Madison Responds to Paterson’s New Jersey PlanWilliam Paterson’s New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral (one-house) legislature with equal votes of states and an executive elected by a national legislature. This plan maintained the form of government under the Articles of Confederation while adding powers to raise revenue and regulate commerce and foreign affairs. James Madison commented on Paterson’s proposed plan in his journal that he maintained during the course of the proceedings. Madison’s notes, which he refined nightly, have become the most important contemporary record of the debates in the Convention. James Madison. Notes of Debates in the Federal Constitutional Convention, June 16, 1787. Manuscript. James Madison Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (059.00.02) [Digital ID# us0059p3] Read the transcript Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj20 Pennsylvania State House in PhiladelphiaThe Pennsylvania State House (known today as “Independence Hall”) in Philadelphia was the site of American government during the revolutionary and early national years. The national Congress held most of its sessions there from 1775 to 1800. Within its walls the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted, and signed. This print depicts the back of the building, with citizens and Native Americans walking on the lawn. William Birch & Son. “Back of the State House, Philadelphia,” from The City of Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania, North America, As it Appeared in the Year 1800. . . . Etching. Philadelphia: 1800, restrike printed in 1840. Marian S. Carson Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (055.02.00) [Digital ID# ppmsca-24335] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj21 Convention Rejects Franklin’s Proposed Daily PrayerResponding to the divisive tension among the delegates that threatened to jeopardize the purpose of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin proposed that a clergyman lead a daily prayer to provide divine guidance in resolving differences. The delegates declined the proposal, citing the numerous religious sects represented in the Convention and a lack of funds to pay a chaplain. Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj17 Franklin Soothes AngerWhen delegates at the Federal Constitutional Convention became frustrated and angry because of the contentious issue of proportional representation in the new national legislature, Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) urged “great Coolness and Temper.” James Wilson (1742–1798) from Pennsylvania reading Franklin’s speech, told the delegates “we are sent here to consult, not to contend, with each other.” As the eldest delegate at the convention, Franklin acted on several occasions to restore harmony and good humor to the proceedings. Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj2 “Great Compromise” Saves the ConventionBy mid-July the representation issue had the Constitutional Convention teetering on the brink of dissolution. Finally, delegates made a “great compromise,” to create a bicameral (two-house) legislature with the states having equal representation in the upper house or senate and the people having proportional representation in the lower house, where all money bills were to originate. James Madison’s notes on the Constitutional Convention, July 16, 1787. Manuscript. James Madison Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (59) [Digital ID#s us0059tt_1, us0059tt_2, us0059tt_3] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj3 Back to Top Committee of DetailJohn Rutledge (1739–1800) of South Carolina chaired the five-member Committee of Detail assigned on July 23, 1787, to take the nineteen resolutions adopted by the Convention, a plan presented by South Carolina delegate Charles Pinckney (1757–1824), and the rejected New Jersey Plan, as the basis for producing a draft constitution. The Committee of Detail draft boldly refocused the convention. The multiple annotations by Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804) of New York illustrate the hard work remaining for the delegates.
Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj5 Report of the Committee of StyleThe Committee of Style, chaired by William Samuel Johnson (1727–1819) working with James Madison (1751–1836), Rufus King (1755–1827), and Alexander Hamilton, gave the Constitution its substance. Gouverneur Morris (1752–1816), a delegate from Pennsylvania, is credited with providing the preamble phrase “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union”—a dramatic change from the opening of the previous version. This simple phrase anchored the new national government in the consent of the people rather than a confederation of states.
Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj6 Washington’s Frustrations at the ConventionGeorge Washington, president of the Federal Constitutional Convention, revealed few of the personal conflicts and compromises of the delegates in his daily diary. However, even the unflappable Washington exposed his frustrations when he noted on September 17, 1787, that all delegates to the convention had signed the Constitution except “Govr. [Edmund] Randolph and Colo. [George] Mason from Virginia & Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry from Massachusetts.” George Washington diary entry, September 17, 1787. Manuscript. George Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (063.01.00) [Digital ID#s us0063_01, us0063] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj7 Discover! Opposition to the ConstitutionAs the convention concluded, George Mason (1725–1792) continued to fear an ultra-national constitution and the absence of a bill of rights. On the eve of the Constitution’s adoption on September 17, 1787, Mason noted these major objections on the version of his copy of the Committee of Style draft. Mason sent copies of his objections to friends, from whence they soon appeared in the press. George Mason. “Objections to the Constitution of Government Formed by the Convention,” ca. September 17, 1787. Manuscript document. George Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (64.00.01) [Digital ID#s us0064_1, us0064] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj9 “Monarchy or a Republic?”As the Constitutional Convention adjourned, “a woman [Mrs. Eliza Powell] asks Dr. Franklin well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy? A republic replied the Doctor if you can keep it.” Although this story recorded by James McHenry (1753–1816), a delegate from Maryland, is probably fictitious, people wondered just what kind of government was called for in the new constitution. James McHenry. Diary, September 18, 1787. Manuscript. James McHenry Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (63.02.00) [Digital ID# us0063_02p1] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj8 Back to Top Early Optimism of the Acceptance of New ConstitutionSamuel Powel (1739–1793), a Philadelphia political leader, reflects the early optimism for the quick acceptance of the new federal Constitution. Such optimism proved premature as Anti-Federalist opponents of the Constitution mounted stiff opposition in key states, such as New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia, but its proponents ultimately prevailed. Letter from Samuel Powel to George Washington, November 13, 1787. Manuscript. George Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (67.01.00) [Digital ID# us0067_01p1] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj13 Jefferson’s Concern about Method of Electing PresidentBecause they were serving as American ministers abroad during the constitutional debates John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were not involved in the Constitutional Convention. Neither saw major flaws in the new constitution. However, Jefferson thought that the legislature would be too restricted and greatly feared that the manner of electing the president would weaken the office. Jefferson asserted that the United States president “seems a bad edition of a Polish King, a reference to the custom in eighteenth-century Poland of electing kings, which undercut royal authority. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, November 13, 1787. Manuscript. Thomas Jefferson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (67) [Digital ID# us0067] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj12 Conflict in Ratification of the ConstitutionThe process of state ratification of the United States Constitution was a divisive one. This satirical, eighteenth-century engraving touches on some of the major issues in the Connecticut politics on the eve of ratification. The two rival factions shown are the “Federals,” supporters of the Constitution who represented the trading interests and were for tariffs on imports, and the “Antifederals,” those committed to agrarian interests and more receptive to paper money issues. Although drawn to portray events in Connecticut, the concepts could be applied throughout the nation. Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj14 Discover! Madison Defends ConstitutionIn the ensuing debate over adoption of the Constitution, James Madison teamed with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay of New York to write a masterful dissection and analysis of the system of government presented in the Constitution. The eighty-five articles were originally published in New York newspapers as arguments aimed at anti-Federal forces in that state, but their intended scope was far larger. Madison's Federalist No. X explains what an expanding republic might do if it accepted the basic premise of majority rule, a balanced government of three separate branches, and a commitment to balance all the diverse interests through a system of checks and balances.
Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj10 The Federalist PapersThe Federalist Papers were a series of eighty-five newspaper essays published anonymously but were in fact written in defense of the Constitution by James Madison, John Jay (1745–1829), and Alexander Hamilton. The essays were collected and published as a two-volume work. This edition was once owned by Hamilton’s wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, whose sister gave it to Thomas Jefferson. As his notes indicate, Jefferson attempted to determine the authorship of each essay.
Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj11 Back to Top James Madison Defends the ConstitutionThe Federalist Papers, a series of eighty-five newspaper essays published anonymously, were in fact written in defense of the Constitution by James Madison, John Jay (1745–1829), and Alexander Hamilton. In this essay, Madison argues against the criticism that a republic can not govern a large territory. “A democracy consequently will be confined to a small spot,” wrote Madison, but “A republic may be expanded over a large region.” Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj19 Alexander Hamilton Defends the New ConstitutionThe Federalist Papers, a series of eighty-five newspaper essays published anonymously, were in fact written in defense of the Constitution by James Madison (1751–1836), John Jay (1745–1829), and Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804). In this essay Hamilton opens his argument in support of a strong executive branch with: “the election of the president is pretty well guarded. I venture somewhat further; and hesitate to affirm, that if the manner of it be not perfect, it is at least excellent. It unites in an eminent degree all the advantages; the union of which was to be desired.” This collected volume was owned and annotated by James Madison. [Alexander Hamilton]. Number LXVIII. The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution. 2 vols. New York: J. and A. McLean, 1788. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (66.01.00) [Digital ID# us0066_01] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj16 Federal Constitution Ratified by VirginiaBefore the newly proposed Constitution could become the supreme law of the United States, it would require the ratification of nine states. New Hampshire and Virginia became the ninth and tenth states to approve the document. Supporters of the Constitution used these state ratifications to pressure the remaining states to approve and join the establishment of the new federal republic. New York followed suit in July 1788, but Rhode Island and North Carolina did not ratify until after the formation of the new government in 1789. “Ratification of the New Constitution by the Convention of Virginia” in Supplement to the Independent Journal, July 2, 1788. New York: J. and A. McLean. Broadside. Constitutional Convention Broadside Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (071.03.00) [Digital ID# us0071_03] Read the transcript Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj18 New York Parade to Support the New Federal ConstitutionOn July 23, 1788, a New York City parade of ten divisions of artisans and professionals, preceded by the firing of ten guns, was launched to pressure the New York Ratification Convention. Just days later New York became the eleventh state to ratify the new federal Constitution on July 26, 1788. Order of procession, in honor of the Constitution of the United States . . . by order of the Committee of Arrangements, Richard Platt, chairman, July 23 [1788]. New York: 1788. Printed broadside. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (68.01.00) [Digital ID# us0068_02] Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj15 Back to top Return to Creating the United States Constitution List Previous Section: Road to the Constitution | Next Section: Constitution Legacy What did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention have in common quizlet?What did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention have in common? -Most had practical political experience.
What was the typical delegate to the Constitutional Convention?The average age of the delegates was 42 and four of the most influential delegates——Alexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, Gouverneur Morris and James Madison——were in their thirties.
What characteristics did the delegates have in common?some of the characteristics of the delegates to the constitutional convention were White males wealthy educated. Some were lawyers. Many helped write their state constitution and seven served as state.
Who were the 3 important delegates of the Constitutional Convention?6 Key Players At The Constitutional Convention. George Washington. Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. ... . James Madison. James Madison by John Vanderlyn (White House Historical Association) ... . George Mason. Portrait of George Mason by John Hesselius (Wikimedia) ... . Roger Sherman. ... . William Paterson. ... . James Wilson.. |
Which of the following was a characteristic of the delegates to the constitutional convention?
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