Qualla: Constitutional Convention (United States)

Constitutional Convention (United States): Introduction

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0. They nailed the windows shut. In the stifling heat of a Philadelphia summer, fifty-five delegates to the Federal Convention agreed that their deliberations must remain absolutely secret -- and so the tall windows of the Pennsylvania State House stayed sealed from May through September of 1787. Outside, merchants haggled at the docks along the Delaware and church bells marked the hours. Inside, men who had fought a revolution together argued over whether the country they had created was even worth saving. The Articles of Confederation were failing. States refused to fund Congress, foreign debts went unpaid, and Shays' Rebellion had exposed a nation unable to defend itself. What began as a meeting to patch the Articles became something far more radical: the creation of an entirely new form of government.

Image: Antoine Taveneaux | CC BY-SA 3.0

Constitutional Convention (United States): A Confederation Unraveling

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Constitution_Pg1of4_AC.jpg: Constitutional Convention derivative work: Bluszczokrzew (talk), Public domain. By the mid-1780s, the United States existed more in name than in practice. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress could not levy taxes, regulate trade, or enforce its own laws. Each state had one vote regardless of population, and any amendment required unanimous approval ...

Image: Constitution_Pg1of4_AC.jpg: Constitutional Convention derivative work: Bluszczokrzew (talk) | Public domain

Constitutional Convention (United States): Madison Arrives Early, and Prepared

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Public domain. James Madison of Virginia reached Philadelphia eleven days early. He had spent months studying every republic and confederacy in history -- ancient Greece, the Swiss cantons, the Dutch Republic -- and arrived with a document titled "Vices of the Political System of the United Sta...

Image: Public domain

Constitutional Convention (United States): The Great Stalemate

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit user:Publius97 from enwiki, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Virginia Plan thrilled large states and horrified small ones. Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, home to more than half the population, supported proportional representation. Delaware's delegates threatened to walk out if equal representation was abolished. William Pa...

Image: user:Publius97 from enwiki | CC BY-SA 3.0

Constitutional Convention (United States): Compromise Behind Closed Doors

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, Public domain. Progress stalled until mid-July, when the Grand Committee -- one delegate from each of the eleven states present -- forged the Connecticut Compromise. The House would have proportional representation; the Senate would give each state two votes. Benjamin Franklin, at 81 the oldest...

Image: Joseph-Siffred Duplessis | Public domain

Constitutional Convention (United States): A Rising Sun

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain. The Committee of Detail produced a first draft in early August. The Committee of Style, including Gouverneur Morris and Hamilton, refined the language into its final form. On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine of the fifty-five delegates signed. Rhode Island had refused to send anyo...

Image: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided | Public domain