Troubles with the existing Confederation of States finally convinced the Continental Congress, in February 1787, to call for a convention of delegates to meet in May in Philadelphia “to devise such further provisions as shall appear to them necessary to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the …

Madison is best remembered for his critical role in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where he presented the Virginia Plan to the assembled delegates in Philadelphia and oversaw the difficult process of negotiation and compromise that led to the drafting of the final Constitution.

A central issue at the Convention was whether the federal government or the states would have more power. Many delegates believed that the federal government should be able to overrule state laws, but others feared that a strong federal government would oppress their citizens.

What did Congress ask the delegates to do at the Philadelphia Convention? They agreed to keep a record of what was said at the convention a secret for 30 years. They gave each state one vote in the convention proceedings, no matter the size of the state’s population.

The delegates generally agreed on the need for a separate executive independent of the legislature. (The executive would be called the “president.”) And they also agreed on giving the president the power to veto laws but only if his veto was subject to an override.

Despite their differences, the delegates did have one thing in common: they were educated men. They had studied history and great political philosophers such as Locke and Montesquieu.

All the delegates believed that government had to protect peoples’ rights to liberty and equality, and that a republic was the best form of government. They disagreed about which people were entitled to vote and to hold office.

What did delegates for a strong national government believe? The delegates for a strong national government believed that a strong national government would endanger the rights of states. The delegates for stronger state governments believed that a strong national government would threaten individual liberty.

delegates wanted to improve the Articles of Confederation. Why do you think it was important that most delegates had served in state legislatures? because they would be more educated in knowing how to improve it for the best. some delegates thought that slavery was wrong and others thought that it was greatly needed.

Rhode Island

Delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation.

In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair.

On September 5, 1774, the first Continental Congress in the United States met in Philadelphia to consider its reaction to the British government’s restraints on trade and representative government after the Boston Tea Party.

Under the Articles of Confederation, delegates from the states met in a Congress. In order to pass any new law, delegates from at least 9 of the 13 states had to approve it. Often, however, not enough delegates were present to vote.

6 Key Players At The Constitutional Convention

• George Washington. Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart.
• James Madison. James Madison by John Vanderlyn (White House Historical Association)
• George Mason. Portrait of George Mason by John Hesselius (Wikimedia)
• Roger Sherman.
• William Paterson.
• James Wilson.

To encourage delegates to make arguments without fear of recrimination and to discourage mob action in the city, those in attendance kept their deliberations secret during their lifetimes and did not inform the public of the resulting document until September 17, after most of the delegates had signed on to it.