Men Who Didn't Sign The Constitution: A Historical Perspective

The United States Constitution was not signed into effect, but rather, it was ratified by the states. Of the 74 individuals selected to attend the Constitutional Convention, 55 attended, and 39 signed the document. Several attendees left before the signing ceremony, and three of the 42 who remained refused to sign. The men who chose not to sign did so to signal their concerns about the document's power without a Bill of Rights.

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Rhode Island refused to send delegates

The US Constitution was signed by 39 delegates, out of the 55 who attended the Constitutional Convention. Twelve of the thirteen original states were represented at the convention, with Rhode Island being the only state that refused to send delegates.

Rhode Island's absence at the convention was due to its opposition to a closer union with the other former British colonies that formed the United States. The state had a reputation for being particularly ready to use its veto power. In 1781, Rhode Island began to acquire nicknames like "the perverse sister", "an evil genius", and "the quintessence of villainy". The name "Rogue Island" stuck until 1787, when the Constitutional Convention began, and the state refused to send a delegation. Rhode Island was the only state that did not participate in the convention's proceedings.

Rhode Island's opposition to the Constitution was mainly due to the document's potential impact on the state's practices. The Constitution would have made Rhode Island's practice of printing paper money illegal. Additionally, the state was concerned that the Constitution gave too much power to the central government at the expense of the states. Rhode Island wanted further checks and securities limiting federal power before adopting the Constitution.

Rhode Island's refusal to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention was just the beginning of its resistance to the Constitution. Between September 1787 and January 1790, the state's legislature rejected 11 attempts to ratify the Constitution. The state even tried to break up celebrations of New Hampshire's ratification in 1788, with 1,000 Country Party supporters descending on Providence. However, faced with the threat of a trade embargo from the rest of the country, Rhode Island finally ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790, becoming the last state to do so.

15 men did not attend the convention

Seventy-four individuals were selected to attend the Constitutional Convention, but only 55 delegates attended the sessions, and 39 signed the Constitution. Three of the 42 delegates who remained at the convention until the end refused to sign the document.

Several factors prevented the attendance of the 15 men who did not attend the convention. For instance, New Hampshire was unable or unwilling to pay the way for its two delegates to attend the convention. Some individuals did not accept their appointments, such as Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. Others could not attend due to illness, such as John Dickinson, who authorized George Read to sign his name by proxy. Some delegates left the convention early, such as Caleb Strong, who left due to his wife's ill health, and James McClurg, a physician who favoured a strong federal government.

Some delegates decided not to sign the document to signal their concerns about its power without a Bill of Rights. Edmund Randolph, for example, argued that the Constitution gave too much power to the executive office. George Mason, a framer of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, believed that a Bill of Rights was essential and refused to sign without it. Despite their refusal to sign, these men still supported the ratification of the Constitution.

The delegates who signed the Constitution did so as individual witnesses of the unanimous consent of the states present, rather than on behalf of particular states. This was done to gain the support of critics and create a sense of common accord.

3 men refused to sign of the 42 who remained

The United States Constitution was not signed into effect. Instead, it was ratified by the states, with nine of the 13 states needing to ratify for it to become law. While this process did not require individual signatures, many of the men who had helped draft the Constitution chose to sign their names to the document, showing their support and endorsement.

Of the 74 delegates chosen to attend the Constitutional Convention, 55 attended, and 39 signed. Several attendees left before the signing ceremony, and three of the 42 who remained refused to sign. These three men were George Mason, Edmund Randolph, and Elbridge Gerry.

George Mason, a framer of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, believed that a Bill of Rights was essential and refused to sign without one. Edmund Randolph, on the other hand, argued that the Constitution was flawed and gave too much power to the executive office. In his refusal to sign, he stated, "In refusing to sign the Constitution, I take a step which might be the most awful of my life, but it is dictated by my conscience, and it is not possible for me to hesitate, much less to change." Elbridge Gerry held similar beliefs, stating that the Constitution combined the negative aspects of both democracy and its opposite extreme, and that it would never succeed.

Despite their refusal to sign, these men did not abandon or ignore the Constitution. Instead, they advocated for a Bill of Rights, which they believed would strengthen the protection and power of "We the People."

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Four delegates from Virginia did not sign

The US Constitution was signed by 39 delegates, with 55 in attendance and 12 states represented at the Constitutional Convention. Notably, four delegates from Virginia did not sign the document. These four men were James McClurg, Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and John Blair.

James McClurg, from Williamsburg, advocated for a life tenure for the President and the ability of the federal government to override state laws. He left the convention in early August, refusing to sign the Constitution. Edmund Randolph, the governor of Virginia, introduced the Virginia Plan, which became the basis for the Constitution. However, he declined to sign, stating that his refusal was "dictated by my conscience, and it is not possible for me to hesitate, much less, to change." George Mason, from Fairfax County, was also a delegate from Virginia who did not sign. Unfortunately, there is limited information on why he chose not to sign. Finally, John Blair, also from Williamsburg, attended the convention regularly but never spoke or served on a committee. He typically sided with the Virginia delegation.

The men who chose not to sign the Constitution did so for various reasons, including concerns about its power without a Bill of Rights. Some, like Randolph, had strong consciences that guided their decision-making. Despite their refusal to sign, these men did not abandon or ignore the Constitution going forward. Many of them became strong advocates for a Bill of Rights, which would strengthen the protection and power of "We the People."

The signing of the US Constitution was a significant event in the country's history, and the contributions of the Virginia delegates, both those who signed and those who did not, played a crucial role in shaping the final document.

Some delegates wanted a Bill of Rights

The United States Constitution was not signed into effect. Instead, it was ratified by the states, with nine of the thirteen states needing to ratify for it to become law. Many of the men who had debated and drafted the Constitution signed their names to the document, showing their support and endorsement. However, some delegates at the Constitutional Convention decided not to sign the document to signal their concerns about its power without a Bill of Rights.

Of the 55 delegates present at the convention, 39 signed. Benjamin Franklin summed up the sentiments of those who did sign, stating:

> "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 accept the Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best."

Indeed, several attendees left before the signing ceremony, and three of the 42 who remained refused to sign. One of these was Edmund J. Randolph, who declared:

> "In refusing to sign the Constitution, I take a step which might be the most awful of my life, but it is dictated by my conscience, and it is not possible for me to hesitate, much less to change."

Another was Elbridge Gerry, who believed that the Constitution combined the negative options of two opposing views:

> "One [view is] devoted to democracy, the worst of all political evils, the other as violent in the opposite extreme."

George Mason was also one of three delegates present on the final day of the convention who refused to sign the Constitution because it lacked a bill of rights. Many Americans, persuaded by a pamphlet written by Mason, opposed the new government.

Thomas Jefferson was a strong supporter of supplementing the Constitution with a bill of rights. Jefferson thought they would give an independent judiciary the means to curb any “tyranny” of the executive or legislative branches. He feared the “inconveniencies of the want of a Declaration” of Rights “by way of supplement."

In the end, the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. On October 2, 1789, President Washington sent copies of 12 amendments adopted by Congress to the states. By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified 10 of these, now known as the “Bill of Rights.”

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