The Constitutional ConventionMay 25, 1787 - September 17, 1787

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Shays’ RebellionCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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At the close of the American Revolution, the United States owed more than ten million dollars to foreign nations such as France and Spain who had provided aid during the war. To pay this debt under the Articles of Confederation, each state would be forced to levy crushing taxes on its citizens. Some of the people these taxes most affected were farmers who owned plenty of land, but did not earn enough to pay their taxes after selling their crops. Many farmers had been away fighting in the war and their farms were not productive.

Shays’ RebellionCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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Many farmers began to lose their land for non-payment of taxes. Daniel Shays, a farmer and former captain in the Continental Army, raised an army of followers who came to be known as the Regulars.

The injustice of veterans of the Revolution losing their land gave this group popular support. The federal government did little to help them.

Annapolis ConventionCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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Twelve delegates from five states attended this meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, in September 1786. They sought to remedy the problems of the Articles of Confederation. The actual name of the meeting was “Meeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government,” and it focused primarily on trade issues among the states. The result of the meeting was to call for another gathering in May in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Maryland State House, site of the Annapolis Convention in 1786

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Fifty-five DelegatesThere were fifty-five delegates who helped to draft the United States Constitution.

They became known as the Founding Fathers.

Connecticut: Oliver Ellsworth*, William Samuel Johnson, Roger Sherman

Delaware: Richard Bassett, Gunning Bedford, Jr., Jacob Broom, John Dickinson, George Read

Georgia: Abraham Baldwin, William Few, William Houston, William Pierce

Maryland: Daniel Carroll, Luther Martin*, James McHenry, John F. Mercer*, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer

Massachusetts: Elbridge Gerry*, Nathaniel Gorham, Rufus King, Caleb Strong*

New Hampshire: Nicholas Gilman, John Langdon

New Jersey: David Brearley, Jonathan Dayton, William Houston*, William Livingston, William Paterson

New York: Alexander Hamilton, John Lansing, Jr.*, Robert Yates*

North Carolina: William Blount, William Richardson Davie*, Alexander Martin*, Richard Dobbs Spaight, Hugh Williamson

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Fifty-five DelegatesPennsylvania: George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimons, Benjamin Franklin, Jared Ingersoll, Thomas Mifflin, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, James Wilson

South Carolina: Pierce Butler, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pinckney, John Rutledge

Virginia: John Blair, James Madison, George Mason*, James McClurg*, Edmund Randolph*, George Washington, George Wythe*

Notes

- Rhode Island did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

-Names with an (*) next indicate the delegate did not sign the final draft of the United States Constitution.

-Thomas Jefferson and John Adams did not attend the meeting because they were representing the United States in France.

The Virginia PlanCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan. The plan established a legislative branch comprised of two chambers. Each state would be represented in the national legislature based on its population. More populous states, such as Virginia, would have more representatives than smaller states. Larger states embraced this plan, but smaller states feared they would lose political power, and they opposed the legislation.

The New Jersey PlanCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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William Paterson proposed the New Jersey Plan in response to Madison’s Virginia Plan. The New Jersey plan called for a single-chamber Congress in which each state would have equal representation. Since it would give them equal status with the larger states, small states supported the New Jersey Plan. Large states did not support it.

The Great Compromise(Connecticut Compromise)

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Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut wrote the Connecticut Compromise, or Great Compromise. This compromise led to that creation of a bicameral national legislature. The Great Compromise featured ideas from the New Jersey and Virginia plans. In the lower house of Congress, representation would be based on a state’s population, as in the Virginia Plan.

The Great Compromise(Connecticut Compromise)

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The voters in each state would elect members to the House of Representatives. The number of representatives from each state would be based on the population of the state in the most recent census. In the upper house of Congress, each state would have an equal number of representatives, as in the Virginia Plan. Two senators would represent each state in the Senate.

The Rising SunCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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The Rising Sun was artwork on the back of the chair George Washington sat in as he presided over the Constitutional Convention. After the delegates had adopted the Constitution, Franklin watched as, one by one, they signed the Constitution. During the convention, he also had been studying the artwork on Washington’ s chair, which depicted half of the sun.

The Rising SunCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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Franklin told many people that he did not know if the sun were rising or setting as the delegates debated the Constitution. As the delegates signed the Constitution, Franklin determined that a rising sun had overlooked the proceedings.

The Fight Over RatificationCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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There was a significant fight over the ratification of the United States Constitution. A committee drafted the document in July. This committee discussed the terms for a month before a second committee, the Committee of Style and Arrangement, was formed. Gouverneur Morris led this committee, and they composed a final version of the Constitution for signing on September 17, 1787. However, many delegates were dissatisfied with the final version of the Constitution; and ten refused to sign it. These men included Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and Elbridge Gerry.

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O• History Beyond The Textbook

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George Mason had stated that the only way he would support the Constitution was if a bill of rights were added to the document. Eventually, a bill of rights would be added. The inclusion of a bill of rights was an important subject in negotiations to adopt the Constitution. Many delegates demanded its addition. Some delegates signed the Constitution because they were assured that a bill of rights would be added.

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O• History Beyond The Textbook

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Benjamin Franklin spoke for many delegates when he 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 to 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 Federalist PapersCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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The Federalist Papers were a collection of eighty-five articles that supported the ratification of the United States Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay were the authors. The papers explained the importance of the Constitution to the future of the United States and discussed the various philosophies included in the document.

The Federalist PapersCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wanted to show the American public what the Constitution would do and helped to urge Americans to discuss amendments to the Constitution. There was a lively debate across the country between Federalists who favored the new Constitution and Anti-Federalists who were skeptical about it.

The LegacyCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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The United States Constitution became the foundation of the United States government. Since the Constitution was ratified, many amendments have been added. The Bill of Rights was the first ten amendments; and more than two hundred years later, there are twenty-seven amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments have helped to shape the United States into the country that it is today.

The LegacyCICEROHistory Beyond The Textbook

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Because Americans can add or revise the national government, the United States Constitution is considered a “living document.” For example, voting rights in the Constitution have expanded since it became America’s plan of government in 1789. The Constitution recognizes the basic rights of all Americans and the guidelines for the United States government.