Founding Fathers: Common Threads Of The Constitutional Delegates

The 55 delegates who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention had three key things in common: a desire to create a government of limited powers, a commitment to crafting a powerful central government, and a recognition of the need for compromise. Despite representing diverse interests and views, the delegates shared a revolutionary heritage and worked to balance state and national powers. They grappled with contentious issues like slavery and representation, ultimately producing the world's first written constitution and laying the foundation for modern American governance.

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A desire for a limited government with sufficient 'energy'

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 assembled in Philadelphia with the initial goal of revising the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. However, by mid-June, they had collectively decided to completely redesign the government, a decision that was not unanimous.

The delegates shared a desire for a limited government with sufficient "energy" to carry out its duties. They wanted to create a government with divided power between the states and the nation, addressing the fears of an overbearing central power. This was a challenging task, as they aimed to strike a delicate balance between establishing a government with the necessary authority to fulfil its functions and assuaging concerns about centralised authority.

The delegates recognised the need for a strong central government to address the nation's challenges, including financial crises, disorder, and disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. They understood that a weak central government could lead to chaos and instability. However, they also wanted to ensure that this central government did not become oppressive or reminiscent of the one they had recently overthrown.

To achieve this balance, the delegates crafted a series of compromises, including the Connecticut Compromise or the Great Compromise. This compromise established the House of Representatives, apportioned by population, and the Senate, which provided equal representation for each state. Additionally, they agreed on a federal government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, each with distinct roles.

The delegates' desire for a limited government with sufficient energy resulted in one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world. Despite their differences, they successfully created a system of government that balanced power between the states and the nation, ensuring both stability and the protection of individual liberties.

A wish to avoid a powerful central government

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were tasked with revising the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. However, they ended up completely redesigning the government, creating a powerful central government.

Many of the delegates were wary of centralized power and loyal to their states. They were aware that the young country was on the brink of collapse, with a collapsing monetary system and a dangerously weak military. Despite this, they were keen to avoid a powerful central government that could oppress citizens.

The delegates wanted to create a government of limited powers, with a division of power between the states and the nation. They aimed to allay people's fears of an overbearing central power, but there was little certainty about how this balancing act would work in practice.

The delegates compromised by creating a bicameral legislative branch, with equal representation for each state in the Senate and representation based on population in the House of Representatives. This ensured that large and small states had a say in Congress.

The delegates also established an executive branch and a judicial branch, setting up a system of checks and balances to distribute power and prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. They recognized the need to give more power to the central government for the nation's survival, but they wanted to avoid concentrating too much power at the federal level.

The need for a consensus on slavery

The 55 delegates who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Federal Convention, the Philadelphia Convention, or the Grand Convention, had the formidable task of revising the Articles of Confederation. However, they soon realised that a completely new system of government was required.

One of the most contentious issues they faced was slavery and its impact on congressional representation. The delegates knew that the slave population of the South would affect calculations for representation, whether they were considered residents or property. The "Three-Fifths Compromise" was proposed, suggesting that slaves be counted as three-fifths of a person in apportioning representation and taxation. Many delegates were unhappy with this proposal, arguing that it had little basis in logic or morality. However, they recognised the need for a consensus on the issue, however fragile, to avoid a complete breakdown of the convention.

The Southern delegates proposed three provisions that explicitly restricted Congress's authority in ways that favoured their interests. These included barring Congress from interfering with the slave trade, prohibiting the taxation of exports, and requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress for any legislation concerning the regulation of foreign commerce. These proposals outraged Northern delegates and slavery opponents.

The delegates eventually agreed that the slave trade could continue until 1808, and the Three-Fifths Compromise was adopted. This compromise was a temporary solution to a highly divisive issue, and it reflected the delegates' desire to create a government of limited powers while also addressing representation and slavery.

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The Articles of Confederation as a starting point

The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, was the starting point for the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Articles had established the Confederation Congress, which had the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, or print money.

The Articles of Confederation had failed to prevent the young country from descending into a financial crisis and threatened to tear the country apart due to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. In response, a group of "nationalist" politicians proposed a "general convention" in Philadelphia to revise the Articles.

The 55 delegates who gathered in Philadelphia initially intended to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, by mid-June, they had decided to completely redesign the government. They faced several major issues, including representation, state versus federal powers, executive power, slavery, and commerce.

The delegates were divided between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Federalists believed in a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists feared a powerful central government that resembled the one they had overthrown and wanted a stronger state government. Despite their differences, the delegates aimed to create a government of limited powers, with a balance of power between the states and the nation, ensuring domestic tranquility and securing individual liberties.

The delegates debated and crafted compromises, such as the "Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise," which resolved the issue of congressional representation. They also grappled with the contentious issue of slavery, adopting the “Three-Fifths Compromise" to count enslaved individuals for representation and taxation purposes.

In the end, the delegates produced the world's first written constitution, rejecting the Articles of Confederation and establishing a powerful central government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

The creation of a powerful central government

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held in Philadelphia, with 55 delegates in attendance. The delegates were tasked with revising the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. However, they soon decided to completely redesign the government, creating a powerful central government.

The delegates were aware of the need for a strong central government to address the nation's challenges. They wanted to ensure the government had the "energy" to fulfil its promises, such as "establish [ing] Justice", "insur [ing] domestic Tranquility", and "secur [ing] the Blessings of Liberty". However, they were also wary of centralised power and wanted to avoid creating an overbearing central authority. This balancing act was a significant challenge.

A key issue was the tension between large and small states over representation in Congress. Large states favoured representation by population, while small states argued for equal representation. The "Great Compromise", also known as the "Connecticut Compromise", resolved this issue. It established the House of Representatives, apportioned by population, and the Senate, which represented the states equally. This compromise was a fundamental aspect of the new government's structure.

Another critical debate centred on slavery. The delegates avoided using the words "slave" or "slavery" in the Constitution, but the issue was central to discussions on representation and commerce. The Three-Fifths Compromise was adopted, whereby enslaved people were counted as three-fifths of a person in both representation and taxation calculations. This compromise aimed to balance conflicting interests, but many delegates criticised it as lacking a logical or moral basis. The delegates also agreed to allow Congress to ban the slave trade after 20 years, demonstrating their recognition of the need for a consensus on this contentious issue.

The delegates' creation of a powerful central government was a significant achievement, resulting in one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world. They navigated complex issues and conflicting interests to establish a government that balanced centralised power with states' rights.

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