The Framers Of The Us Constitution: A Historical Overview

The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Federal Convention, the Philadelphia Convention, or the Grand Convention at Philadelphia, was attended by 55 delegates, though 70 individuals were initially appointed by the original states. Notable attendees included George Washington, who was unanimously elected president of the convention, James Madison, who was known as the father of the Constitution, and Roger Sherman, who proposed the Great Compromise. The delegates ranged in age from 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton to 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin.

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George Washington: unanimously elected president of the convention

George Washington was unanimously elected as president of the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, the Federal Convention, or the Grand Convention at Philadelphia. The Convention met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 14 to September 17, 1787.

Washington was not initially interested in being part of politics or the Convention. However, he was persuaded to attend and was subsequently elected as its president. He oversaw the debate and helped forge a consensus, demanding complete secrecy as the delegates worked on the controversial task of revising the Articles of Confederation. Washington's presence provided a sense of focus and direction, and he worked to create an atmosphere that allowed convention members to reach the compromises necessary to create a new government.

Washington's vision for a stronger union and central government, along with his belief in a single executive leader, guided the delegates as they passionately debated the future of the United States. He stayed relatively quiet, refraining from imposing his biases on others, and mainly participated to keep order and provide deciding votes on various proposals.

One of Washington's few substantive contributions to the text of the Constitution was his support for lowering the size of congressional districts from 40,000 to 30,000 citizens. The Convention adopted this proposal without further debate.

Washington's attendance and support for the Constitution calmed anxieties about the future of the young nation. He worked tirelessly to garner support for ratification, and his strong backing convinced many to vote in favor of it.

James Madison: the 'father of the Constitution'

James Madison, born on March 16, 1751, was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison played a pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, earning him the title "Father of the Constitution".

Madison was born into a prominent slave-owning planter family in Virginia. In 1774, he joined the Patriots, strongly opposed to British taxation. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress during and after the American Revolutionary War. Dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, he helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly.

Madison took detailed notes during the Constitutional Convention, which provide a comprehensive history of the proceedings. He collaborated with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in publishing a series of essays, known as The Federalist, to promote ratification of the Constitution. Madison wrote 29 out of 85 essays, and his influence was instrumental in securing Virginia's ratification. In addition, Madison sponsored the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, emphasizing freedom of religion, speech, and the press.

Madison's contributions to the Constitution were significant. He proposed the Virginia Plan, which provided the basic framework and guiding principles of the Constitution. He also supported the Three-Fifths Compromise, which apportioned representation in the House of Representatives based on each state's free and enslaved population. While Madison initially opposed the Constitution's protection of the foreign slave trade, he eventually accepted it as a necessary compromise.

Madison's theories and efforts advanced civil and political liberty, and he left a lasting impact on the founding of the nation and its early development. His model of a liberty-protecting constitutional government has been described as one of the most influential American ideas in global political history.

Roger Sherman: proposed the Connecticut Compromise

Roger Sherman, a delegate from Connecticut, proposed the Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or the Sherman Compromise. This proposal addressed the disputes between larger and smaller states regarding representation in the legislative structure.

Sherman's proposal retained the bicameral legislature, which consisted of the House of Representatives and the Senate. He suggested that the lower house should have proportional representation, with each state having one representative for every 40,000 inhabitants, including three-fifths of the state's enslaved population. In the upper house, or the Senate, each state would have an equal vote, with two members from each state regardless of population.

The Compromise was a significant step in defining the legislative structure and representation of each state under the United States Constitution. It created a dual system of state representation in the U.S. Congress, balancing the interests of larger and smaller states. This agreement also led to the Three-Fifths Compromise, further complicating the issue of representation in the House by including enslaved people in population calculations.

Benjamin Franklin modified Sherman's proposal to make it more acceptable to the larger states. He added the requirement that revenue bills originate in the House, giving the larger states more influence. Despite opposition from some nationalists, the Connecticut Compromise played a crucial role in shaping the structure of the United States government and addressing the representation concerns of the states.

Roger Sherman had extensive political experience before proposing the Connecticut Compromise. He had served in the State Upper House of Connecticut, the Connecticut Superior Court, and as Mayor of New Haven. Additionally, he had been a member of the Continental Congress and the Confederation Congress, and he signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

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George Mason: advocated for a bill of rights

George Mason was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, a planter, a politician, and a Founding Father. He was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution, due to his belief that it gave too much power to a central government and lacked a bill of rights to guarantee individual liberty.

Mason was a prominent figure in Virginia politics and a close friend and neighbour of George Washington. He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758 and served on multiple committees, although he did not attend sessions for most of his term and did not seek re-election in 1761. In 1775, he became a member of the Third Virginia Convention as the representative of Fairfax County, replacing Washington. His primary job was to raise funds for an army to protect Virginia from potential British invasion.

Mason was the main author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which served as the basis for the United States Bill of Rights. He also authored the Constitution of Virginia, which named the state the "Commonwealth of Virginia", indicating that power stemmed from the people. The constitution provided for a popularly elected House of Delegates, with most governmental power residing in this body.

Mason's advocacy for a bill of rights was driven by his concern over the amount of power given to the federal government and the convention's reluctance to end the slave trade. He wanted an immediate end to the slave trade and a supermajority requirement for navigation acts, fearing that restrictions on shipping might harm Virginia. He failed to achieve these objectives at the Constitutional Convention and later at the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788.

Despite his refusal to sign the Constitution, Mason's desire for a bill of rights was ultimately realised with the passage of the federal Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791, providing the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

William Paterson: proposed the New Jersey Plan

William Paterson, born in 1745 in Antrim, Ireland, moved to America as a child. He studied at Princeton, reading classics, history, political theory, and moral philosophy. He went on to study law and became a successful attorney, being appointed New Jersey's first attorney general.

Paterson was a delegate at the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Federal Convention, the Philadelphia Convention, or the Grand Convention at Philadelphia. He was one of 55 delegates who attended the sessions, and one of 39 who signed the Constitution.

Paterson is known for proposing the New Jersey Plan, which attempted to safeguard the rights of small states. The plan consisted of nine resolutions, including revisions to the Articles of Confederation to make them "adequate to the exigencies of Government and the preservation of the Union". It also proposed that the Confederation Congress should be able to raise money by taxing imports, stamp tax, and postage, with tax evaders tried in state courts with an appeal to a Federal judiciary.

Paterson's plan called for each state to have equal representation in Congress, as he opposed plans for proportional representation, fearing that the interests of small states would be ignored. He wrote, "I would rather submit to a Monarch, to a despot, than to such a fate". The New Jersey Plan also expanded Congress's power, although this was not sufficient to gain support from the more populous states.

The New Jersey Plan was ultimately rejected by the delegates, with three states voting in favour, seven against, and one divided. However, aspects of Paterson's proposal were included in the Connecticut Compromise, which combined elements of the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan to create a compromise on representation that favoured the less populous states.

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