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History Beyond The Textbook
The Constitutional Convention
May 25, 1787 - September 17, 1787
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History Beyond The Textbook
Shays’ Rebellion
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.
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History Beyond The Textbook
Shays’ Rebellion
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.
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History Beyond The Textbook
Annapolis Convention
Maryland State House, site of
the Annapolis Convention in
1786
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.
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Fifty-five Delegates
There 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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History Beyond The Textbook
Fifty-five Delegates
Pennsylvania: 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.
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History Beyond The Textbook
The Virginia Plan
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.
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History Beyond The Textbook
The New Jersey Plan
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.
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History Beyond The Textbook
The Great Compromise
(Connecticut
Compromise)
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.
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History Beyond The Textbook
The Great Compromise
(Connecticut
Compromise)
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.
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The Rising Sun
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.
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The Rising Sun
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.
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The Fight Over Ratification
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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History Beyond The
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The Fight Over Ratification
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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The Fight Over Ratification
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 … ”
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The Federalist Papers
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.
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The Federalist Papers
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.
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The Legacy
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.
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The Legacy
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.
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