We The People Lesson Eleven

Terms to Know:
Constitutional Convention-The meeting held in Philadelphia from May 25 through September 18, 1787, at which the Constitution of the United States was drafted
Delegate-a person chosen to represent others, as at a convention
The Federalist- A series of essays written in 1787-1788 and collected in a book by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, urging the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and supporting the need for a strong national government
Ratification-formal approval of U.S. Constitution by the states
Virginia Plan-
Question and Answer-
1. Why did Congress call for a Constitutional Convention? What did Congress authorize the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention to do?
· They called for the convention because the first meeting only found five delegates, and James Madison asked that Congress call a meeting in Philadelphia to strengthen the national government. The Convention was solely authorized to propose amendments to the Articles.
2. How would you describe the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention? What prominent political leaders attended?
· The delegates were fairly young, and many of them were prominent figures in the communities. Prominent political leaders were George Washington, James Madison, George Mason, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, Elbridge Gerry, Roger Sherman, and Edmund Randolph.
3. Why did the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention decide to conduct their deliberation in secret?
· There were tow reasons. One, the Framers wanted to develop the best constitution they could and this required a free exchange of ideas, which if their debates had been made public, many of the delegates could not have freely said what they thought. Two, the Framers thought that the Constitution had a better chance of being accepted if people did not know about the arguments that went on during its creation.