The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, was held in 1787 to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and establish a new system of government for the United States. The Convention was arranged in a specific way to ensure that it would be successful in achieving its goals.
Why Was The Constitutional Convention Necessary?
The Articles of Confederation, which had been in place since 1781, were not working well. They had created a weak central government that was unable to regulate commerce or collect taxes. The states were essentially operating as separate countries, with their own laws, currencies, and militaries.
Many people realized that the Articles of Confederation needed to be replaced with a stronger system of government. However, any changes to the Articles required unanimous agreement from all 13 states, which was virtually impossible to achieve. Therefore, a new plan was proposed: a convention to draft a new constitution.
Who Attended The Constitutional Convention?
The Constitutional Convention was attended by 55 delegates from 12 of the 13 states. Rhode Island did not send any delegates. The delegates were mostly wealthy, white, property-owning men who were well-educated and experienced in politics.
Some of the most notable delegates included George Washington, who was elected as the presiding officer of the Convention, James Madison, who is often called the "Father of the Constitution," and Benjamin Franklin, who was the oldest delegate and provided a calming influence throughout the Convention.
How Was The Constitutional Convention Arranged?
The Constitutional Convention was arranged in a specific way to ensure that it would be successful in achieving its goals. Here are some of the key aspects of the arrangement:
The Location
The Convention was held in Philadelphia, which was centrally located and easily accessible by most of the delegates. The meetings were held in Independence Hall, which had been the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence 11 years earlier.
The Rules
The Convention was conducted under strict rules of secrecy. The delegates were not allowed to talk about the proceedings outside of the Convention, and all of their notes and papers were supposed to be destroyed after the Convention was over.
The Convention was also conducted using Robert's Rules of Order, which is a set of procedures for conducting meetings and making decisions. This helped to ensure that the meetings were organized and efficient.
The Schedule
The Convention was scheduled to begin on May 14, 1787, but it did not actually start until May 25 because not enough delegates had arrived. Once the Convention began, it met almost every day until September 17, 1787, when the final draft of the Constitution was signed.
The Committees
The Convention was divided into several committees to help with the drafting of the Constitution. The most important of these was the Committee of Detail, which was responsible for writing the first draft of the Constitution. The Committee of Style, which included Alexander Hamilton, was responsible for making the final revisions and polishing the language of the Constitution.
The Compromises
The delegates at the Convention had many different ideas about how the new government should be structured. There were big states and small states, slave states and free states, and those who wanted a strong central government and those who wanted to protect the power of the states.
To overcome these differences, several key compromises were made. The Great Compromise, for example, created a bicameral legislature with one house based on population (the House of Representatives) and one house with equal representation for each state (the Senate). The Three-Fifths Compromise counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of determining a state's population for representation in the House of Representatives.
Conclusion
The Constitutional Convention was arranged in a specific way to ensure that it would be successful in achieving its goals. By holding the Convention in Philadelphia, following strict rules of secrecy, using Robert's Rules of Order, and dividing into committees, the delegates were able to work together to draft a new Constitution that has endured for over 200 years.