Eleanor Finch
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states, endorsed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81. While the political leanings of each signer are not explicitly stated, the context of the time suggests that left-wing politics in the United States was not a prominent force, with the first European socialists arriving in North America in the form of a Christian sect known as Labadists, who founded a commune in 1683. The United States Progressive Party of 1948 was a notable left-wing political party, advocating for desegregation, national health insurance, and conciliation with the Soviet Union.
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What You'll Learn
The Signing of the United States Constitution
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The signing of the document marked the end of a four-month-long Constitutional Convention, during which a new form of republican government was planned to replace the weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation. The convention was presided over by George Washington, who, as president of the Convention, was the first to sign the Constitution.
In total, 39 delegates to the convention representing 12 states endorsed the Constitution. The 13 original states collectively appointed 70 individuals to the convention, but a number of them did not accept or could not attend. 55 delegates participated in the convention, but 13 dropped out, and three of those who remained refused to sign the final draft. The remaining 39 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Read signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson. The delegates' names are grouped by state, with the listing of states arranged geographically from north to south.
The signing of the Constitution was preceded by a speech from Benjamin Franklin, who, at 81, was the oldest signer. Too weak to deliver the speech himself, Franklin asked James Wilson to read it for him. In the speech, Franklin acknowledged that there were “several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them”. Despite this, he accepted the Constitution, stating, "I expect no better and because I am not sure that it is not the best". Following Franklin's address, the delegates agreed to sign the document as individual witnesses of the unanimous consent of the states present.
The youngest signer of the Constitution was Jonathan Dayton, aged 26. Benjamin Franklin was the first signer to die, in April 1790, while James Madison was the last, dying in June 1836.
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George Washington's role
George Washington played an indispensable role in the founding of the United States and the creation of its Constitution.
Washington was the president of the Constitutional Convention, a role to which he was unanimously elected by the 55 state delegates who gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1787. The delegates had originally intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, but their work ultimately led to the creation of the Constitution. Washington's role as president involved supervising the convention's debates and calling on members when they spoke. He also voted with the Virginia delegation.
Washington's opinions on the plans and compromises of the convention were the subject of much speculation, as he rarely spoke on substantive matters inside the hall. However, he expressed a desire to see the Constitution adopted, and his support was used by Federalists to gain acceptance of the document. In a letter to the president of Congress, Washington wrote that the Constitution was "the result of a spirit of amity and of that mutual deference and concession which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable." This letter was attached to the Constitution whenever it was printed.
Washington's commanding presence and influence were crucial in achieving the compromises that kept the convention on track and ultimately led to the creation of the Constitution. His role has been described as that of a "general contractor," working to forge consensus among the passionate Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
Washington was the first to sign the Constitution, followed by the other 38 delegates.
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Jonathan Dayton, the youngest signer
Jonathan Dayton, born in 1760 in Elizabethtown (now Elizabeth), New Jersey, was the youngest signer of the United States Constitution. He was 26 years old when he signed the document on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dayton was an American Founding Father and politician from New Jersey. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, where he was the youngest member. After the convention, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1791 and served as its third speaker from 1795 to 1799. He supported Alexander Hamilton's financial policies and helped suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. In 1799, he was elected to the US Senate, where he served one term and supported the Louisiana Purchase.
Dayton was implicated in Aaron Burr's conspiracy to establish an independent country in the Southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, which led to his arrest for alleged treason in 1807. Although he was exonerated by a grand jury, his national political career never recovered. He continued to hold local and state offices and devoted most of his time to developing his large landholdings in Ohio. The city of Dayton, Ohio, is named after him, and he also owned 250,000 acres of land in the area.
Jonathan Dayton died on October 9, 1824, in his hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was interred in an unmarked grave under the St. John's Episcopal Church, which now stands on the site.
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Benjamin Franklin, the oldest signer
Benjamin Franklin, born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, was the oldest signer of the US Constitution at 81 years old. He was one of 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention who endorsed the Constitution and signed the document. Franklin was in poor health during the signing of the Constitution in 1787 and was rarely seen in public after that until his death in 1790. He was the first signer to die.
Franklin was considered one of the leading Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution. Franklin earned the title "The First American" for his early and passionate campaigning for colonial unity. He is considered foundational in defining the American ethos and has been honoured for centuries after his death, including on the $100 bill and in the names of warships, towns, counties, educational institutions, and corporations.
Franklin was a prodigious inventor and made significant achievements in science and politics. He was also influential in the early history of the nation, leading to his being called "the only president of the United States who was never president of the United States." Franklin's likeness is ubiquitous, and his portrait has appeared on American currency, including the $50 bill, the $100 bill, and the $1,000 Series EE savings bond.
Franklin was also known for his views on slavery, which he considered "an atrocious debasement of human nature" and "a source of serious evils." In 1787, he helped write a new constitution for the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and became the organization's president that same year.
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William Paterson, a supporter of the New Jersey Plan
William Paterson was a delegate at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, representing New Jersey. He is known for proposing the New Jersey Plan, which was one of two major competing proposals for the structure and functioning of the US government. The plan was introduced in June 1787 and was intended to benefit smaller states such as New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland.
The New Jersey Plan consisted of nine resolutions. The first resolution advocated for a unicameral system of legislature, allowing for revisions to it. The second resolution expanded the scope of Congress's powers, granting it the authority to collect import duties and raise taxes through various means, including a stamp tax and postage. The third resolution established the three-fifths rule, which counted three-fifths of the number of enslaved people in a state when determining its population for funding requests to the states. The fourth resolution called for an executive branch made up of multiple individuals, with a fail-safe allowing for their removal by a majority vote of the states. The fifth resolution provided for a federal judiciary appointed by the executive branch.
The New Jersey Plan's most significant proposal was for equal representation for states in a unicameral legislature, regardless of population. This was in contrast to the Virginia Plan, which called for proportional representation based on state population. Paterson's plan aimed to prevent larger states, such as New York and Virginia, from having a greater share of power. However, the New Jersey Plan was ultimately rejected by the delegates, with seven states voting against it, three voting in favour, and one being divided.
Following the rejection of the New Jersey Plan, delegates continued to debate representation and address the concerns of the less populous states. A compromise was eventually reached, combining elements of both the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan. This compromise, known as the Great Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise, included Paterson's proposal for equal representation in the Senate, along with Madison's bicameral system and proportional representation in the House. This agreement became a crucial component of the United States Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
39 delegates signed the United States Constitution, representing 12 states (all except Rhode Island).
Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, was the youngest signer of the Constitution.
Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, was the oldest signer of the Constitution.
William Paterson, a left-wing signer of the Constitution, was born in Ireland.
