Gilbert Stuart, artist Pendleton’s Lithography, ca. As he submitted the Constitution to the Continental Congress, George Washington acknowledged the difficult task the Convention faced: George Washington, first president of the United States. The Convention tackled basic issues including the essential structure of the government, the basis of representation, and the regulation of interstate trade. Fears of creating a too powerful central authority ran high. George Washington was selected unanimously as president of the Convention.įrom the outset, delegates clashed over issues of state sovereignty while small and large states battled over the distribution of power. By May 25, the state delegates had reached a quorum and the Constitutional Convention officially began. On February 21, 1787, the Continental Congress called for a national convention to meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Led by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, the delegates at the Annapolis Convention issued a proposal for a new convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. In an effort to deal with problems of interstate commerce, a convention in Annapolis was held in September 1786. Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states.Įvents such as Shays’ Rebellion, an armed uprising by debt-ridden farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786 and early 1787, exposed the weaknesses of the federal government and galvanized calls for revising the Articles of Confederation. The Continental Congress commanded little respect and no support from state governments anxious to maintain their power. With the passage of time, the defects in the Articles of Confederation became apparent. The product of four months of secret debate, the Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation and proposed an entirely new form of government.Īdopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, but not ratified by the states until 1781, the Articles of Confederation created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government. Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America James Madison, fourth President of the United States. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875. His notes form the largest single source of materials for Farrand’s Records, one of several collections in A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. James Madison, later known as the “Father of our Constitution,” was among the most influential delegates at the Constitutional Convention. This motion, supported by George Mason and Elbridge Gerry, was voted down and the Constitution was adopted. Two days earlier, when a final vote was called, Edmund Randolph called for another convention to carefully review the Constitution as it stood. On September 17, 1787, members of the Constitutional Convention signed the final draft of the Constitution.
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