Framers Of The Constitution: The Key Contributors

The U.S. Constitution, the fundamental framework of America's system of government, was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates—George Reed signed on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, was held in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. The delegates included George Washington, who was unanimously elected president of the convention, James Madison, often referred to as the Father of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and many others.

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The Constitutional Convention

One of the fiercest arguments at the convention was over congressional representation. The delegates compromised by agreeing to proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house (the Senate), giving each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two senators in the Senate. They also agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person, and to protect the slave trade until 1808 to satisfy interests in the South.

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention worked throughout the summer of 1787, and their decisions were put into writing by a Committee of Detail. A Committee of Style and Arrangement then condensed the articles into a final form. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total to 39 signatures. The Constitution was then ratified by 9 of the 13 states, enacting the new government.

The Committee of Detail

The committee referenced state constitutions, the Articles of Confederation, plans submitted to the convention, and other available material. The Declaration of Independence was also an important guide, as were the writings of European political philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke. The goal was to create a balanced government of checks and balances to serve the long-term interests of the people of an independent nation.

The committee's work resulted in the first workable constitutional plan, as previous efforts had only outlined goals and a broad structure. The final report, delivered by Rutledge on August 6, 1787, was a printed draft of the proposed federal constitution. This draft included numerous provisions that the convention had never discussed but were not likely to be controversial. It also set the final balance between the national and state governments, as Wilson modified the list of enumerated powers, adding the necessary and proper clause and strengthening the supremacy clause.

The committee continued to meet until early September, making changes in response to feedback from the convention and other committees. The final draft, presented to the convention on September 12, contained seven articles, a preamble, and a closing endorsement. Several of the delegates were disappointed in the result, and three refused to sign. However, Benjamin Franklin accepted the Constitution, acknowledging that it was "not sure that it is not the best".

The Committee of Style and Arrangement

The Constitutional Convention had been called by the Confederation Congress to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. However, the delegates soon decided to completely redesign the government, creating a powerful central government while remaining loyal to their states. They crafted compromises to accommodate their diverse interests and views, including the controversial Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted three-fifths of enslaved Africans as part of the population for representation purposes.

The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land, superseding the Articles of Confederation. It delineates the framework of the federal government, establishing the separation of powers into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. The Constitution also lays out the rights and responsibilities of state governments and their relationship to the federal government, including extradition, freedom of movement, and the governance of non-state territories.

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The delegates

Another compromise was made to satisfy interests in the South, particularly in Georgia and South Carolina, by protecting the slave trade for 20 years. The delegates also agreed to require the return of escaped slaves to their owners, even if captured in states where slavery had been abolished. Additionally, they adopted the Connecticut Compromise, which proposed a Congress with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house (the Senate), giving each state two senators.

The ratification process

The founders set the terms for ratifying the Constitution, bypassing the state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. This was because they believed that members of the state legislatures would be reluctant to give up power to a national government. The ratification required the approval of nine out of the 13 states, and the first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.

On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the official framework of the government of the United States of America. The ratification process ended when Rhode Island ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790. After ratification, Congress set dates for the first federal elections, which were held from December 15, 1788, to January 10, 1789, and the new government began on March 4, 1789, with George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President.

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