The Us Constitution: Who Wrote It?

The US Constitution was drafted in 1787 by delegates from 13 states at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The convention was held in response to the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, which gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington were among those who feared the young country was on the brink of collapse. Madison, known as the father of the Constitution, was a driving force behind the convention, and Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize it. Other key contributors include George Mason, who advocated for a bill of rights, Roger Sherman, who proposed the Connecticut Compromise, and James Wilson, who desired a single executive with veto power. The final Constitution was signed by 39 delegates and ratified by 9 of the 13 states, with amendments added over time to address issues such as slavery and voting rights.

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James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington

Madison, often referred to as the "Father of the Constitution", was a key figure in the Constitutional Convention. He participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution in 1776 and served in the Continental Congress and the Virginia Assembly. Along with John Tyler, Madison proposed that the Continental Congress be given the power to regulate commerce throughout the Confederation. He also worked with Alexander Hamilton to issue a report calling for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. During the Constitutional Convention, Madison actively participated in the debates and recorded the proceedings. He later contributed to the ratification of the Constitution by co-authoring the Federalist essays with Hamilton and John Jay.

Alexander Hamilton was a strong defender of the Constitution and played a crucial role in driving it through the New York convention. He proposed that the federal government assume the debts of the states and establish a steady revenue stream through taxation of imported goods. Hamilton also used his economic expertise to address the location of the federal capital and the creation of a federal bank. His proposals and vision helped solidify the nation's economy and set the stage for its future prosperity.

George Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention as its unanimously elected president. While he rarely spoke on substantive matters during the proceedings, he supervised the deliberations and voted with the Virginia delegation. Washington's specific contributions to the Constitution are not well documented, but he had previously expressed his desire for a central government with the power to tax, maintain an army, and regulate interstate and international commerce. His role in forging and framing the Constitution is often underappreciated, and he played a key part in the creation of a central government.

Together, Madison, Hamilton, and Washington made significant contributions to the creation and ratification of the US Constitution. Their efforts helped shape the foundation of the nation and its future direction.

The Philadelphia convention

The convention was held in the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. Seventy-four delegates were appointed, with 55 in attendance, representing 12 states. Rhode Island was the only state that refused to send delegates, as its leaders viewed the convention as a threat to their power. The delegates were well-versed in philosophical theories of government and had experience in state politics, making them a highly knowledgeable group.

General George Washington, former commanding general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, was unanimously elected president of the convention. Washington embodied the convention's goal of establishing a stronger national government. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and others played key roles in shaping the convention's outcome. Madison, who had proposed the convention in the Virginia assembly, was instrumental in setting its agenda and kept detailed notes of the debates, providing a valuable record of the proceedings.

The convention was initially intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, but the delegates soon agreed on the need for a new system of government. They debated and ultimately ratified a new Constitution, creating a powerful central government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The famous opening words of the Constitution, "We the People," signified the idea that the government derived its legitimacy from the people, not the states.

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money. The states retained considerable power, and the central government had little power to settle quarrels between states. The limitations on the central government, such as in assembling delegates, raising funds, and regulating commerce, limited its ability to govern the 13 states.

Just a few years after the Revolutionary War, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared their young country was on the brink of collapse. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart. Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787. The delegates came up with a completely new government, creating a powerful central government.

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The Committee of Detail and Committee of Style and Arrangement

The Committee of Detail was a committee established by the United States Constitutional Convention on July 24, 1787, to put down a draft text reflecting the agreements made by the convention up to that point. The committee was chaired by John Rutledge, with other members including Edmund Randolph, Oliver Ellsworth, James Wilson, and Nathaniel Gorham. The committee referenced state constitutions, the Articles of Confederation, plans submitted to the convention, and other available material. The two preliminary drafts that survive, as well as the text of the Constitution submitted to the convention, were in the handwriting of Wilson or Randolph. The committee's final report became the first draft of the constitution.

The Committee of Style and Arrangement was appointed towards the end of the convention to prepare a final Constitution from the textual provisions that the convention had previously adopted. Pennsylvania delegate Gouverneur Morris was assigned the task of drafting, and, with few revisions and little debate, the convention adopted the committee’s proposed Constitution. Morris added language stating that the Constitution is “the supreme law of the land”, supporting judicial review. Questions have been raised about whether Morris covertly made changes in the text to advance his constitutional vision.

George Mason, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson

George Mason, a Virginian plantation owner, was a passionate advocate for individual freedoms and rights. He is known for his efforts to ensure that the protection of individual liberties was a fundamental aspect of the American system. Mason is credited with authoring the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which served as a precursor to the national Declaration of Independence. He also played a crucial role in drafting the Constitution of Virginia. However, Mason was dissatisfied with the final version of the US Constitution, believing it lacked a bill of rights. He fought for a new convention to address this issue, and his efforts ultimately led to the passage of the federal Bill of Rights in 1791, providing the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

Roger Sherman, an early American politician, lawyer, and Founding Father, represented Connecticut and was the only person to sign all four great state papers: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Sherman was a critical opponent of James Madison and the more populous states. Despite his reserved nature and lack of formal education, he was one of the most active members of the Constitutional Convention, making motions or seconds 160 times. Sherman's views were heavily influenced by Connecticut's isolationist stance, and he believed that the national government needed to raise revenue and regulate commerce. He also opposed slavery and used this stance to shape compromises that benefited the slave states, obtaining allies for the Constitutional Convention.

James Wilson, a Scottish American Founding Father, legal scholar, jurist, and statesman, was a major participant in drafting the US Constitution. He was a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and served on the Committee of Detail, which produced the first draft of the Constitution. Wilson was a leading legal theorist and played a crucial role in shaping the executive branch of the federal government. He advocated for greater participatory democracy, a strong national government, and proportional legislative representation. Wilson proposed the use of an electoral college for selecting the president, which was ultimately adopted by the convention. Additionally, he contributed to the Three-fifths Compromise, which counted three-fifths of each state's slave population toward its total population for representation in the House of Representatives.

Together, the efforts of George Mason, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson helped shape the US Constitution, ensuring the protection of individual rights, a strong federal government, and a system of representative democracy.

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