Who Signed The Constitution? Edmund Randolph's Signature Explained

Edmund Randolph was a Founding Father of the United States, an attorney, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. He played a significant role in drafting the US Constitution and was a delegate from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention. Randolph introduced the Virginia Plan as an outline for a new national government, which was eventually revised into the final draft of the US Constitution. However, despite his influential role in the creation of the Constitution, Randolph did not sign the final draft because he wanted increased protections for individuals and states, and he did not agree with all the revisions made to the original Virginia Plan.

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Edmund Randolph's role in drafting the US Constitution

Edmund Jennings Randolph was a Founding Father of the United States, an attorney, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. He played a significant role in drafting the US Constitution and was a delegate from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

Randolph introduced the Virginia Plan, which served as an outline for a new national government and was influential in shaping the final draft of the US Constitution. The Virginia Plan proposed a strong central government, protection of individual rights, and a bicameral legislature with delegates chosen based on state population. Randolph also proposed the establishment of a national judiciary branch, which was supported unanimously by the convention's delegates. He served on the Committee of Detail, which was responsible for converting the Virginia Plan into the first draft of the federal Constitution.

Despite his significant contributions, Randolph did not sign the final draft of the Constitution because he wanted increased protections for states and individuals, and he did not agree with all the revisions made to the original Virginia Plan. He believed that it lacked sufficient checks and balances. However, in 1788, Randolph reversed his position at the Virginia Ratifying Convention, using his influence to secure Virginia's ratification of the Constitution. He voted for ratification because eight other states had already done so, and he did not want Virginia left out of the new national government.

Randolph went on to become the first United States Attorney General under President George Washington in 1789 and later served as the second Secretary of State during the Washington administration. He made important contributions to the nation's structure and its relationship with the states, including maintaining neutrality in disputes between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

Randolph's refusal to sign the final draft

Edmund Randolph played a significant role in drafting the original US Constitution. As a delegate from Virginia, he introduced the Virginia Plan, which proposed a strong central government composed of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The Virginia Plan also suggested that the legislative branch be able to veto state laws and use force against states that failed to fulfill their duties.

However, Randolph did not sign the final draft of the Constitution. He wanted increased protections for individuals and more protection of the rights of states. He also disagreed with some of the revisions made to the original Virginia Plan, as he felt the final version of the Constitution did not have enough checks and balances in place. He published an account of his objections to the Constitution in October 1787.

Despite his initial refusal to sign, Randolph ultimately reversed his position at the Virginia Ratifying Convention in 1788. He voted for ratification of the Constitution because, by that time, eight other states had already done so, and he did not want Virginia to be left out of the new national government. Randolph believed that Virginia had to choose between the stark alternatives of ratification and disunion.

Following the ratification of the Constitution, Randolph continued to make important contributions to the new nation's structure and its relationship with the states. He served as the first United States Attorney General under President George Washington and subsequently became the second Secretary of State during the Washington administration.

Randolph's influence on the Virginia Plan

Edmund Randolph was a Founding Father of the United States, a lawyer, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. He was born on August 10, 1753, to an influential family in Williamsburg, Virginia. As a delegate from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention, he introduced the Virginia Plan, also known as the Randolph Plan or the Large-State Plan, as an outline for a new national government.

The Virginia Plan was a proposed plan of government for the United States presented at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The plan called for the creation of a supreme national government with three branches and a bicameral legislature, with delegates chosen based on state population. It also proposed the establishment of a national judiciary, as outlined in Article III of the U.S. Constitution. Randolph, himself an enslaver, notably argued against the importation of enslaved people and advocated for a strong central government.

The Virginia Plan was drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, with Madison often given chief credit for producing the plan. However, it was Randolph who contributed substantial elements and officially presented the plan to the Convention on May 29, 1787. In his introduction, Randolph highlighted the problems facing the Confederation, including the threat of anarchy, and asserted the need for a solution based on "the republican principle". The Virginia Plan was a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation, calling for a strong national government and a change in how states were represented in Congress.

The Virginia Plan played a significant role in shaping the overall agenda for debate at the Constitutional Convention and set forth the idea of population-weighted representation in the proposed national legislature. It favored the interests of states with large populations, and the New Jersey Plan was proposed in response to protect small state interests. The Virginia Plan was eventually revised into the final draft of the U.S. Constitution, which Randolph did not sign due to his desire for increased protections for individuals and states' rights. Despite this, Randolph used his influence to bring about Virginia's ratification of the Constitution in 1788.

Randolph's role in the Virginia Ratifying Convention

Edmund Randolph was a Founding Father of the United States, an attorney, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. He played a significant role in drafting the original constitution as a delegate from Virginia, proposing the Virginia Plan, which was eventually revised into the final draft of the U.S. Constitution.

Randolph did not sign the Constitution's final draft because he wanted increased protections for individuals and did not agree with all the revisions made to the original Virginia Plan. However, he reversed his position at the Virginia Ratifying Convention in 1788, held at the Richmond Theatre. He chaired the nearly equally divided convention, and his change of position was resented by Mason, one of the leaders of the opposition, along with Patrick Henry.

Randolph believed that Virginia must choose between the stark alternatives of ratification and disunion. He assured his fellow members of the Virginia political elite that the Constitution, which they were being asked to ratify in the summer of 1788, would have minimal significance and that it would enter a league of sovereign states rather than a consolidated union. He also noted that he had seen several responses to the insistence that modifications were necessary before ratification.

Randolph wrote that his tactics swayed five out of ten delegates with unknown views to vote for ratification. Ultimately, Virginia's Federalists secured the Constitution's ratification by precisely five votes. As a reward for his support, President Washington appointed Randolph as the first Attorney General of the United States in September 1789.

Randolph's career as a Founding Father, lawyer and Governor of Virginia

Edmund Randolph, born on August 10, 1753, was a Founding Father of the United States, an attorney, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. He played a significant role in the drafting of the original US Constitution and was a delegate from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention.

Randolph began his career in law, reading law with his father, John Randolph, and uncle, Peyton Randolph. In 1775, with the start of the American Revolution, Randolph's father, an active Loyalist, fled with his family to Britain. Edmund Randolph, however, stayed in America and joined the Continental Army as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. After the death of his uncle in the same year, he returned to Virginia to execute his will and was elected as a representative to the Fourth Virginia Convention. He also served as the mayor of Williamsburg and the attorney general of Virginia until 1786.

In 1779, Randolph was selected as one of 11 delegates to represent Virginia at the Continental Congress, a position he held until 1782. During this time, he also maintained a private law practice, handling legal issues for Washington and others. He took on John Marshall as a student and law partner and later transferred his law practice to Marshall when he became governor in 1786 due to Virginia law barring executive officers from private practice.

As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Randolph introduced the Virginia Plan, which outlined a new national government with a strong central authority and a bicameral legislature. He argued against the importation of enslaved people and proposed a nationally unified judiciary (Article III). This plan was eventually revised into the final draft of the US Constitution. While Randolph did not sign the Constitution due to his desire for increased individual protections, he voted for its ratification in 1788 to prevent Virginia from being left out of the new national government.

Following his term as governor, Randolph continued to serve in various political roles. He was appointed the first United States Attorney General by George Washington and later served as the second Secretary of State during the Washington administration. Randolph County in Virginia (now West Virginia) and Illinois, as well as the town of Randolph, Vermont, are named in his honour.

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