1786
1787
September 1786
May 25, 1787
May 1787
February 1787
May 29, 1787
1787
July 13, 1787
July 17, 1787
July 26, 1787
July 5, 1787
June 15, 1787
Constitutional Convention
1787
August 25, 1787
September 4, 1787
August 6, 1787
1787
September 12, 1787
September 17, 1787
September 28, 1787
1788
July 2, 1788
September 13, 1788
Debate on Slavery
During the Confederation period (1781-1787), states ignored congressional requests for taxes, passed tariffs (import taxes) on each other, nearly went to war over trade and territorial disputes, and routinely overlooked the provisions of the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. Many Americans, like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton knew something needed to be done to strengthen the national government and worked toward building a “more perfect Union.” The timeline outlines the sequence of events at the Constitutional Convention. It starts with the Annapolis Convention in 1786, where representatives gathered to talk about managing trade between states and with other countries. This meeting set the stage for a larger assembly, resulting in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. In preparation for exploring this timeline, watch this video on how and why the Constitutional Convention came into being.
Introduction
1786
September 12
The Annapolis Convention
On September 12, 1786, a dozen delegates from five states gathered at Mann’s Tavern in Annapolis, just down the street from the Maryland State House. Their assigned task was to discuss measures to enable the Confederation Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. Instead, this meeting, later called the Annapolis Convention, issued a report written by Alexander Hamilton, citing “important defects in the system of the federal government” under the Articles of Confederation. Members proposed a convention in Philadelphia the following May to discuss possible improvements to the Articles. This proposed convention would become the Constitutional Convention.
February 21
1787
The Confederation Congress Endorses the Constitutional Convention
In February 1787, the Confederation Congress endorsed the idea of a Constitutional Convention to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. It provided a mandate for the convention to “revise the Articles” to strengthen the national government under Congress.
May 1787
1787
Developing the Virginia Plan
Members of the Virginia delegation, including George Washington and James Madison, arrived in Philadelphia early. Believing the states were too powerful compared to the central government, they met with the Pennsylvania delegation. They drafted a plan of government, mainly of Madison’s design. This Virginia Plan was guided by the goal of creating a stronger, more effective national government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The plan called for a bicameral legislature, or a legislature divided into two bodies (the Senate and the House of Representatives) with proportional representation in the House of Representatives. The plan became the basis for the debates and deliberations for the convention throughout the summer of 1787.
1787
The Convention Begins
May 25, 1787
The Constitutional Convention was supposed to begin on May 14, 1787, but not enough delegates had arrived in Philadelphia by that date. The convention began on May 25, 1787. The delegates assembled in the Pennsylvania State House. All agreed that the Articles of Confederation had weaknesses that needed to be addressed. But they disagreed on the appropriate solutions. First, the delegates unanimously selected Washington to preside as president of the convention, and his prestige legitimized the gathering in the minds of many. The delegates then decided to allow each state delegation one vote and conduct the proceedings secretly to allow freer debate.
June 13
May 29
Virginia Plan Is Introduced
May 29, 1787
Edmund Randolph introduced the fifteen resolutions of the Virginia Plan. This plan proposed an independent executive, a national judiciary, and a bicameral Congress. Representation would be proportional to the population in both houses. The plan also included a national veto over state laws to prevent injustice in the states. Finally, it proposed to send the work of the convention to popular ratifying conventions in the states rather than to state legislatures. James Madison knew the Virginia Plan went beyond Congress’s instructions merely to revise the Articles, so he wanted the people’s representatives to approve it. Madison wanted to avoid the state legislatures, suspecting they would oppose the plan to strengthen the national government at the expense of their own governments. The Virginia Plan immediately sparked heated debate over the consolidation of power in the national government and the shape of Congress. Charles Pinckney of South Carolina asked whether the plan “meant to abolish the state [governments] altogether.” Madison responded that a stronger national government was necessary to “provide for the safety, liberty, and happiness” of the people.
June 15, 1787
June 19
June 15
New Jersey Plan Is Introduced
William Paterson of New Jersey offered an alternative to the Virginia Plan that maintained state sovereignty based on the federal principle. In other words, the states shared power with the national government, and under the Articles, the states had most of the powers of government. This New Jersey Plan preserved unicameralism (one-house legislature), equal representation, and weak executive of the Articles. However, Paterson offered to strengthen the national Congress's powers over taxation and trade regulation and to make federal treaties apply to all states universally.
July 16
July 5
Connecticut Compromise Is Introduced
The Connecticut Compromise, or the Great Compromise, was an agreement to define the legislative structure and state representation that settled weeks of contentious debate. The supporters of the Virginia and New Jersey plans compromised with a bicameral legislature. The large states wanted both houses of Congress to be based on population size. In contrast, the states with smaller populations wanted equal representation and one vote per state. A further split developed when the South wanted to count enslaved people fully for purposes of representation; the northern states argued that enslaved people were treated as property and should therefore be counted for taxes but not representation. Counting enslaved people as part of the population set off one of the most heated debates of the Convention. The “Great Compromise,” suggested by Roger Sherman of Connecticut, created a bicameral (two chamber) legislature where the states would be represented equally in one chamber and by population in the other. Two U.S. Senators, selected by state legislatures, would represent each state; the states would also send a number of representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives based on their state’s population. Each state was guaranteed at least one U.S. Representative regardless of its size.
July 5, 1787
1787
The Congress Adopts the Northwest Ordinance
July 13, 1787
During the hot summer of 1787, while the delegates of the Philadelphia Convention debated the framework of a new government, the Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance. This legislation created the Northwest Territory, established a government for the territory, and outlined the process by which it would be divided into new states and how those states would be admitted into the Union on an equal basis. The Northwest Territory covered the area occupied by the modern-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. It protected certain rights and liberties including freedom of conscience and a trial by jury. The ordinance banned slavery in the territories. It also provided for the creation of schools to support a knowledgeable and virtuous citizenry in a republic. The Northwest Ordinance is generally seen as one of the most important acts of the Confederation Congress.
July 26
July 17
Debate Over the National Executive or President
July 1787
Even though the delegates discussed and debated the election and powers of a national executive, the debate mainly took place between July 17 and 26. The delegates debated these main issues regarding the executive: whether the executive would be a single individual or multiple individuals, re-eligibility for election, the term length, how the executive would be elected, and the powers of the chief executive or president.
July 26, 1787
1787
Constitutional Convention Adjourns with Committee of Detail
The convention adjourned for several days to allow a Committee of Detail to reconcile and organize all the resolutions that had been accepted up to that point.
1787
Constitutional Convention Reconvenes: The Committee of Detail Report
August 6
The Committee of Detail offered a report that formed the first draft of the U.S. Constitution. In this report, the Committee of Detail summarized where the delegates stood on the national executive elections and powers. They sent their report to the Brearly Committee, whose objective was to settle outstanding issues. (Note: In historical records, “Brearly” has also been spelled “Brearley.”)
1787
The Delegates Compromise on International Slave Trade
A Committee of Eleven—known as the Committee on the Slave Trade—met to hammer out a compromise on the issue of the International Slave Trade. The committee offered that Congress could not interfere with the institution until 1800, only 12 years after expected ratification. The delegates of the Lower South immediately fought back and threatened to walk out of the convention if the international slave trade was not protected in perpetuity. They bargained hard to get the convention to approve pushing the date back to 1808. The South lost a major point of protecting the international slave trade forever but forced a concession of 20 years under threat of disunion. The region, with the help of northern merchants, would tragically import tens of thousands of enslaved Africans during those two decades. Ultimately, in 1807, President Thomas Jefferson called for, and Congress passed, a law banning the international slave trade, on January 1, 1808—the earliest constitutionally-allowable moment.
August 25
1787
Brearly Committee recommended that the Convention support the Electoral College
The Brearly Committee proposed an electoral college in which both the people and the states would be represented in presidential elections. This resolution of the most durable of issues at the convention—the difficult question of the presidential election— indicated that the “partly national, partly federal” model had become the deliberate sense of the convention. Like congressional representation, electing the president would reflect the sense of the community that the union was partly federal and partly national. The convention then resolved the remaining contentious points. The executive branch would have a single president, who: served a four-year term, was eligible for re-election, could veto laws passed by Congress, and would have broad powers over foreign policy and war-making. The president would be elected by an electoral college to which each state would choose, in whatever manner its legislature decided, electors equal in number to the sum of its members of the Senate and House of Representatives. In addition, the convention participants agreed on the national judiciary. Its jurisdiction was established, though the Congress would later establish the specific courts. On September 8, Congress appointed a Committee of Style to draft the U.S. Constitution, which enumerated the powers of Congress.
September 4
1787
September 12
Final Push for the Bill of Rights
On September 12, 1787, during the last days of the Constitutional Convention, Virginia delegate George Mason rose and proposed a bill of rights, a list of rights belonging to the people, which the government could not violate. The delegates were wrapping up their business and worried that a prolonged debate on a bill of rights could endanger the success of their project. Roger Sherman of Connecticut also reassured the convention that the states had their own bills of rights and thus had no need for a national bill of rights. The convention unanimously rejected Mason’s idea.
1787
The Delegates Accept the Constitution
September 17
Thirty-nine delegates from twelve states signed the U.S. Constitution as written. Besides the three who did not, some had gone home. The remaining delegates then retired to the City Tavern, where they dined together and, as Washington wrote in his diary, “took a cordial leave of each other.” The framers of the U.S. Constitution drafted a document that created a stronger republican government embodying the principles of popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and limited government. If ratified, this “new order of the ages” would become the fundamental law of the land. But first, the people’s representatives had to approve it through a deliberative process conducted in state ratifying conventions. The people also debated the merits of this new constitution in newspapers, taverns, churches, and public gathering spaces.
1787
September 28
Confederation Congress Calls for State Ratifying Conventions
After reading the proposed constitution on September 20, Congress ended its debate with a compromise. It resolved unanimously that the proposed constitution should be sent to the state ratifying conventions with a suggestion, rather than an order, to ratify it.
1788
July 2, 1788
Congress Accepts Ratification of Constitution
Individual states met to discuss the ratification of the proposed constitution. As with the Constitutional Convention, representatives in state conventions debated the proposed constitution. Nine of 13 states were needed to ratify the new government. On July 2, Congress declared the U.S. Constitution ratified because it met that threshold.
1788
Congress Prepares for New Government
September 13
The Confederation Congress met to end its system of government under the Articles of Confederation. They agreed on dates for the election of a president and the transition to a Congress under the new Constitution. They agreed to end the Confederation Congress in March of 1789.
Throughout the Constitutional Convention
Delegates Debate the Institution of Slavery
In his "Notes" made during the debates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, James Madison wrote that the main divisions in the convention were not those between large and small states, but "between the N[orthern] & South[er]n States" regarding the "institution of slavery & its consequences." The discussion of representation in a national Congress sparked the first major argument about slavery. Ultimately, Congress settled on the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted three-fifths of enslaved people for the purposes of determining representation in the House of Representatives (although those people were not allowed to vote). The delegates also fiercely debated how to address fugitive slaves and the importation of people for slavery. The final text of the U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788 did not end slavery, which continued to grow and spread in the South at the same time it receded in the North. However, the U.S. Constitution did not explicitly protect the institution of slavery, nor did it provide for national validation of the institution of a “property of men.” The Constitution supported the concept of "freedom national, slavery local." That is, slavery was to remain a matter of state and local law. Importantly, the federal government, therefore, could not interfere with the institution in the states where it already existed. This tenuous compromise related to slavery resulted in a "house divided," in Abraham Lincoln's words, "half-slave and half-free." This had significant consequences for the history of the United States from 1787 to 1865 and after.
Slavery
Read
Slavery and the United States Constitution from Slavery and the Founding Curriculum
Analysis
- Scholars continue to argue about the pro-slavery or anti-slavery character of the U.S. Constitution. The fights over the slave trade and slavery deeply divided the delegates.
- Considering the compromise that permitted Congress to abolish the international slave trade no sooner than 1808, how can this decision be seen as an act of prudence and moderation?
Watch
For more information on the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and to understand the Founders’ request for a convention, watch the following videos.
Reflect
- Can you think of a time when you made a good effort to do something, but failed? How did you respond?
Watch
In this video, learn about the origins and functions of the Electoral College. This constitutional institution has long been the subject of intense debate and scrutiny, and this video challenges students to think about it for themselves.
Analysis
- What are some of the common criticisms of the Electoral College? What are the arguments in defense of the Electoral College? Which do you believe is more persuasive and why?
Reflect
- The New Jersey plan was an attempt at a compromise in the convention.
- Reflecting on your experiences, what factors have made a compromise successful?
Explore
- View the proof copy of the Committee of Detail Report from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection.
Read
The Annapolis Convention Essay from Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Read this essay to learn how the Annapolis Convention marked a decisive moment in the movement for constitutional reform
Reflect
- Can you think of a time when a law or policy was completely changed?
- Have you seen this happen in your community, school, or sports team?
- Why do you think it was necessary to change the whole law or policy rather than just making a small change or addition to it?
Read
James Madison and the Bill of Rights
Analysis
- After reading the essay, do you agree with James Madison’s evolving support for a bill of rights? Why or why not? What civic virtues did he exhibit in changing his mind and arguing for the Bill of Rights in the First Congress?
Reflect
- Have you ever had a major event coming up, like a presentation, project, or a big game? What steps did you take to prepare for it?
Reflect
- Do you think conducting these debates in secret was a good idea? Why or why not?
- What would happen if your student council meetings were secret? Would it allow for more effective deliberation? Would it limit public scrutiny?
Analysis
- In his letter printed alongside the proposed constitution, George Washington wrote:
- “It is obviously impracticable in the federal government of these states; to secure all rights of independent sovereignty to each, and yet provide for the interest and safety of all—Individuals entering into society, must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest. The magnitude of the sacrifice must depend as well on situation & circumstance as on the object to be obtained. It is at all times difficult to draw with precision the line between those rights which must be surrendered, and those which may be reserved; and on the present occasion this difficulty was encreased [increased] by a difference among the several states as to their situation, extent, habits and particular interests. . . .we hope and believe; that it may promote the lasting welfare of that country so dear to us all, and secure her freedom and happiness, is our most ardent wish.”
- How did Washington acknowledge the people's concerns regarding the proposed constitution?
- Why is it important to recognize people’s concerns when working together for a common goal?
Analysis
- To what extent was the Constitutional Convention a story of compromise?
Watch
In this video, the Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) staff explains the significance of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This legislative act by Congress outlined the rules for governing the newly acquired territories.
Analysis
- How would these territories be incorporated into the union, and how would issues like slavery be addressed?
Reflect
- Have you ever participated in a meeting (for student council, group project, or sports team) where two people or groups disagreed on important things?
- How did they respond to each other? How did they treat each other's ideas?
Watch
Watch this video to review Articles of Confederation and the need for a constitution.
Reflection
- Consider a time when you worked with a group that disagreed on an issue or decision. How did group members resolve their differences? Alternatively, if the disagreement remained unresolved, what factors contributed to the lack of a successful resolution?
Reflect
- At the Constitutional Convention, delegates took notes by hand to record the debates and ideas. The Committee of Detail reconciled all the accepted resolutions to present in a later report.
- What tools or methods do your local or school governments use to record community meetings and decision-making? What other tools or techniques might make this process more efficient, more transparent, and easier to share with the community?
Watch
Watch this video of scholars exploring the intricate relationship between the Civil War, the question of slavery, and the diverse interpretations of the Constitution as either pro-slavery or anti-slavery. Specifically, it addresses the pivotal role the Constitution played in the eventual abolition of slavery and how the Civil War served to expedite this process.
Quote
Analysis
Parts of Benjamin Franklin’s speech at the closing of the convention:
“I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others...” “For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected? It therefore astonishes me, Sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does; and I think it will astonish our enemies, who are waiting with confidence to hear that our councils are confounded like those of the Builders of Babel; and that our States are on the point of separation, only to meet hereafter for the purpose of cutting one another’s throats.” “On the whole, Sir, I can not help expressing a wish that every member of the Convention who may still have objections to it, would with me, on this occasion doubt a little of his own infallibility, and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument.”
- How does Benjamin Franklin demonstrate the importance of compromise and moderation in his speech?
- Do you agree with his argument for moderation?
Watch
For a deeper understanding of the presidency, watch this video. Consider the constitutional powers and limitations of the American presidency.
Reflection
- Under the Articles of Confederation, the role of the chief executive or president was a collective duty. Do you believe having a single leader is more efficient, or is a leadership team better? Reflect on your personal experiences, such as with sports teams, clubs, and school activities, to support your opinion.
Reflect
- Think about a time when you faced a disagreement with friends, family members, or in a group project where everyone had different opinions or needs. How did you work towards a solution?
- Reflect on the process of finding a middle ground. What strategies did you use to balance differing viewpoints? Did the situation require you to give up something important to you, and how did you feel about the outcome?
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Transcript
1786
1787
September 1786
May 25, 1787
May 1787
February 1787
May 29, 1787
1787
July 13, 1787
July 17, 1787
July 26, 1787
July 5, 1787
June 15, 1787
Constitutional Convention
1787
August 25, 1787
September 4, 1787
August 6, 1787
1787
September 12, 1787
September 17, 1787
September 28, 1787
1788
July 2, 1788
September 13, 1788
Debate on Slavery
During the Confederation period (1781-1787), states ignored congressional requests for taxes, passed tariffs (import taxes) on each other, nearly went to war over trade and territorial disputes, and routinely overlooked the provisions of the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. Many Americans, like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton knew something needed to be done to strengthen the national government and worked toward building a “more perfect Union.” The timeline outlines the sequence of events at the Constitutional Convention. It starts with the Annapolis Convention in 1786, where representatives gathered to talk about managing trade between states and with other countries. This meeting set the stage for a larger assembly, resulting in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. In preparation for exploring this timeline, watch this video on how and why the Constitutional Convention came into being.
Introduction
1786
September 12
The Annapolis Convention
On September 12, 1786, a dozen delegates from five states gathered at Mann’s Tavern in Annapolis, just down the street from the Maryland State House. Their assigned task was to discuss measures to enable the Confederation Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. Instead, this meeting, later called the Annapolis Convention, issued a report written by Alexander Hamilton, citing “important defects in the system of the federal government” under the Articles of Confederation. Members proposed a convention in Philadelphia the following May to discuss possible improvements to the Articles. This proposed convention would become the Constitutional Convention.
February 21
1787
The Confederation Congress Endorses the Constitutional Convention
In February 1787, the Confederation Congress endorsed the idea of a Constitutional Convention to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. It provided a mandate for the convention to “revise the Articles” to strengthen the national government under Congress.
May 1787
1787
Developing the Virginia Plan
Members of the Virginia delegation, including George Washington and James Madison, arrived in Philadelphia early. Believing the states were too powerful compared to the central government, they met with the Pennsylvania delegation. They drafted a plan of government, mainly of Madison’s design. This Virginia Plan was guided by the goal of creating a stronger, more effective national government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The plan called for a bicameral legislature, or a legislature divided into two bodies (the Senate and the House of Representatives) with proportional representation in the House of Representatives. The plan became the basis for the debates and deliberations for the convention throughout the summer of 1787.
1787
The Convention Begins
May 25, 1787
The Constitutional Convention was supposed to begin on May 14, 1787, but not enough delegates had arrived in Philadelphia by that date. The convention began on May 25, 1787. The delegates assembled in the Pennsylvania State House. All agreed that the Articles of Confederation had weaknesses that needed to be addressed. But they disagreed on the appropriate solutions. First, the delegates unanimously selected Washington to preside as president of the convention, and his prestige legitimized the gathering in the minds of many. The delegates then decided to allow each state delegation one vote and conduct the proceedings secretly to allow freer debate.
June 13
May 29
Virginia Plan Is Introduced
May 29, 1787
Edmund Randolph introduced the fifteen resolutions of the Virginia Plan. This plan proposed an independent executive, a national judiciary, and a bicameral Congress. Representation would be proportional to the population in both houses. The plan also included a national veto over state laws to prevent injustice in the states. Finally, it proposed to send the work of the convention to popular ratifying conventions in the states rather than to state legislatures. James Madison knew the Virginia Plan went beyond Congress’s instructions merely to revise the Articles, so he wanted the people’s representatives to approve it. Madison wanted to avoid the state legislatures, suspecting they would oppose the plan to strengthen the national government at the expense of their own governments. The Virginia Plan immediately sparked heated debate over the consolidation of power in the national government and the shape of Congress. Charles Pinckney of South Carolina asked whether the plan “meant to abolish the state [governments] altogether.” Madison responded that a stronger national government was necessary to “provide for the safety, liberty, and happiness” of the people.
June 15, 1787
June 19
June 15
New Jersey Plan Is Introduced
William Paterson of New Jersey offered an alternative to the Virginia Plan that maintained state sovereignty based on the federal principle. In other words, the states shared power with the national government, and under the Articles, the states had most of the powers of government. This New Jersey Plan preserved unicameralism (one-house legislature), equal representation, and weak executive of the Articles. However, Paterson offered to strengthen the national Congress's powers over taxation and trade regulation and to make federal treaties apply to all states universally.
July 16
July 5
Connecticut Compromise Is Introduced
The Connecticut Compromise, or the Great Compromise, was an agreement to define the legislative structure and state representation that settled weeks of contentious debate. The supporters of the Virginia and New Jersey plans compromised with a bicameral legislature. The large states wanted both houses of Congress to be based on population size. In contrast, the states with smaller populations wanted equal representation and one vote per state. A further split developed when the South wanted to count enslaved people fully for purposes of representation; the northern states argued that enslaved people were treated as property and should therefore be counted for taxes but not representation. Counting enslaved people as part of the population set off one of the most heated debates of the Convention. The “Great Compromise,” suggested by Roger Sherman of Connecticut, created a bicameral (two chamber) legislature where the states would be represented equally in one chamber and by population in the other. Two U.S. Senators, selected by state legislatures, would represent each state; the states would also send a number of representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives based on their state’s population. Each state was guaranteed at least one U.S. Representative regardless of its size.
July 5, 1787
1787
The Congress Adopts the Northwest Ordinance
July 13, 1787
During the hot summer of 1787, while the delegates of the Philadelphia Convention debated the framework of a new government, the Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance. This legislation created the Northwest Territory, established a government for the territory, and outlined the process by which it would be divided into new states and how those states would be admitted into the Union on an equal basis. The Northwest Territory covered the area occupied by the modern-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. It protected certain rights and liberties including freedom of conscience and a trial by jury. The ordinance banned slavery in the territories. It also provided for the creation of schools to support a knowledgeable and virtuous citizenry in a republic. The Northwest Ordinance is generally seen as one of the most important acts of the Confederation Congress.
July 26
July 17
Debate Over the National Executive or President
July 1787
Even though the delegates discussed and debated the election and powers of a national executive, the debate mainly took place between July 17 and 26. The delegates debated these main issues regarding the executive: whether the executive would be a single individual or multiple individuals, re-eligibility for election, the term length, how the executive would be elected, and the powers of the chief executive or president.
July 26, 1787
1787
Constitutional Convention Adjourns with Committee of Detail
The convention adjourned for several days to allow a Committee of Detail to reconcile and organize all the resolutions that had been accepted up to that point.
1787
Constitutional Convention Reconvenes: The Committee of Detail Report
August 6
The Committee of Detail offered a report that formed the first draft of the U.S. Constitution. In this report, the Committee of Detail summarized where the delegates stood on the national executive elections and powers. They sent their report to the Brearly Committee, whose objective was to settle outstanding issues. (Note: In historical records, “Brearly” has also been spelled “Brearley.”)
1787
The Delegates Compromise on International Slave Trade
A Committee of Eleven—known as the Committee on the Slave Trade—met to hammer out a compromise on the issue of the International Slave Trade. The committee offered that Congress could not interfere with the institution until 1800, only 12 years after expected ratification. The delegates of the Lower South immediately fought back and threatened to walk out of the convention if the international slave trade was not protected in perpetuity. They bargained hard to get the convention to approve pushing the date back to 1808. The South lost a major point of protecting the international slave trade forever but forced a concession of 20 years under threat of disunion. The region, with the help of northern merchants, would tragically import tens of thousands of enslaved Africans during those two decades. Ultimately, in 1807, President Thomas Jefferson called for, and Congress passed, a law banning the international slave trade, on January 1, 1808—the earliest constitutionally-allowable moment.
August 25
1787
Brearly Committee recommended that the Convention support the Electoral College
The Brearly Committee proposed an electoral college in which both the people and the states would be represented in presidential elections. This resolution of the most durable of issues at the convention—the difficult question of the presidential election— indicated that the “partly national, partly federal” model had become the deliberate sense of the convention. Like congressional representation, electing the president would reflect the sense of the community that the union was partly federal and partly national. The convention then resolved the remaining contentious points. The executive branch would have a single president, who: served a four-year term, was eligible for re-election, could veto laws passed by Congress, and would have broad powers over foreign policy and war-making. The president would be elected by an electoral college to which each state would choose, in whatever manner its legislature decided, electors equal in number to the sum of its members of the Senate and House of Representatives. In addition, the convention participants agreed on the national judiciary. Its jurisdiction was established, though the Congress would later establish the specific courts. On September 8, Congress appointed a Committee of Style to draft the U.S. Constitution, which enumerated the powers of Congress.
September 4
1787
September 12
Final Push for the Bill of Rights
On September 12, 1787, during the last days of the Constitutional Convention, Virginia delegate George Mason rose and proposed a bill of rights, a list of rights belonging to the people, which the government could not violate. The delegates were wrapping up their business and worried that a prolonged debate on a bill of rights could endanger the success of their project. Roger Sherman of Connecticut also reassured the convention that the states had their own bills of rights and thus had no need for a national bill of rights. The convention unanimously rejected Mason’s idea.
1787
The Delegates Accept the Constitution
September 17
Thirty-nine delegates from twelve states signed the U.S. Constitution as written. Besides the three who did not, some had gone home. The remaining delegates then retired to the City Tavern, where they dined together and, as Washington wrote in his diary, “took a cordial leave of each other.” The framers of the U.S. Constitution drafted a document that created a stronger republican government embodying the principles of popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and limited government. If ratified, this “new order of the ages” would become the fundamental law of the land. But first, the people’s representatives had to approve it through a deliberative process conducted in state ratifying conventions. The people also debated the merits of this new constitution in newspapers, taverns, churches, and public gathering spaces.
1787
September 28
Confederation Congress Calls for State Ratifying Conventions
After reading the proposed constitution on September 20, Congress ended its debate with a compromise. It resolved unanimously that the proposed constitution should be sent to the state ratifying conventions with a suggestion, rather than an order, to ratify it.
1788
July 2, 1788
Congress Accepts Ratification of Constitution
Individual states met to discuss the ratification of the proposed constitution. As with the Constitutional Convention, representatives in state conventions debated the proposed constitution. Nine of 13 states were needed to ratify the new government. On July 2, Congress declared the U.S. Constitution ratified because it met that threshold.
1788
Congress Prepares for New Government
September 13
The Confederation Congress met to end its system of government under the Articles of Confederation. They agreed on dates for the election of a president and the transition to a Congress under the new Constitution. They agreed to end the Confederation Congress in March of 1789.
Throughout the Constitutional Convention
Delegates Debate the Institution of Slavery
In his "Notes" made during the debates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, James Madison wrote that the main divisions in the convention were not those between large and small states, but "between the N[orthern] & South[er]n States" regarding the "institution of slavery & its consequences." The discussion of representation in a national Congress sparked the first major argument about slavery. Ultimately, Congress settled on the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted three-fifths of enslaved people for the purposes of determining representation in the House of Representatives (although those people were not allowed to vote). The delegates also fiercely debated how to address fugitive slaves and the importation of people for slavery. The final text of the U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788 did not end slavery, which continued to grow and spread in the South at the same time it receded in the North. However, the U.S. Constitution did not explicitly protect the institution of slavery, nor did it provide for national validation of the institution of a “property of men.” The Constitution supported the concept of "freedom national, slavery local." That is, slavery was to remain a matter of state and local law. Importantly, the federal government, therefore, could not interfere with the institution in the states where it already existed. This tenuous compromise related to slavery resulted in a "house divided," in Abraham Lincoln's words, "half-slave and half-free." This had significant consequences for the history of the United States from 1787 to 1865 and after.
Slavery
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Slavery and the United States Constitution from Slavery and the Founding Curriculum
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For more information on the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and to understand the Founders’ request for a convention, watch the following videos.
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In this video, learn about the origins and functions of the Electoral College. This constitutional institution has long been the subject of intense debate and scrutiny, and this video challenges students to think about it for themselves.
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The Annapolis Convention Essay from Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Read this essay to learn how the Annapolis Convention marked a decisive moment in the movement for constitutional reform
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James Madison and the Bill of Rights
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In this video, the Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) staff explains the significance of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This legislative act by Congress outlined the rules for governing the newly acquired territories.
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Watch this video to review Articles of Confederation and the need for a constitution.
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Watch this video of scholars exploring the intricate relationship between the Civil War, the question of slavery, and the diverse interpretations of the Constitution as either pro-slavery or anti-slavery. Specifically, it addresses the pivotal role the Constitution played in the eventual abolition of slavery and how the Civil War served to expedite this process.
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Parts of Benjamin Franklin’s speech at the closing of the convention:
“I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others...” “For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected? It therefore astonishes me, Sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does; and I think it will astonish our enemies, who are waiting with confidence to hear that our councils are confounded like those of the Builders of Babel; and that our States are on the point of separation, only to meet hereafter for the purpose of cutting one another’s throats.” “On the whole, Sir, I can not help expressing a wish that every member of the Convention who may still have objections to it, would with me, on this occasion doubt a little of his own infallibility, and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument.”
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For a deeper understanding of the presidency, watch this video. Consider the constitutional powers and limitations of the American presidency.
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