The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Miracle at Philadelphia
What exactly may be a miracle? A miracle, according to the dictionary, is an effect or extraordinary event brought on by divine or unusual efforts. However, within the 18th century, colonists produced a miracle that changed the world. It all started with a dream, a wish for great wealth and separation from Europe, a wish for a new form of government. Philadelphia, as well as the 13 colonies, needed a pursuit of equality and a stronger form of government. As of today, this legendary miracle is now considered the constitutional convention. This convention took place in Philadelphia between May and September of 1787. This source analysis paper on the constitutional convention will focus on the efforts of the fifty-five men who gathered in Philadelphia within the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, which was later to be known as Independence Hall, in the summer of 1787 to handle the issues of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation.
The initial purpose of the convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation. Despite this original goal, many of the delegates sought the creation of a new government. The Articles of Confederation gave Congress almost no power to regulate domestic affairs, including no power to tax or regulate trade. Congress had to rely on financial support from the states and they frequently turned down requests. As a result, Congress lacked the funds to pay troops for their service in the Revolutionary War or to repay foreign loans used to fund the war. Therefore, as a result, the constitution and a whole new government were made. Over the course of three months, delegates carried out a series of agreements between the competing proposals. Congress was given new powers to manage the economy, currency, and national defense. However, they were denied the ability to limit the slave trade for a minimum of twenty years, and slaves were not recognized as citizens, yet they were allowed to be counted as 3/5 persons for the purpose of apportioning representatives and determining electoral votes.
The Committee of Detail drafted the first full draft of the United States Constitution, using pieces from the Virginia plan and the Articles of Confederation, to create the first full draft. The beginning and most famous part of the constitution is the Preamble, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…”. It sets the tone for the rest of the constitution and expresses the motives and the purpose of the document. The phrase “form a more perfect union”, was a response to the issues the country was having under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation failed and did not form a “perfect union”. At the time, the states were not united and wanted to act like its own separate country. Thus, the U.S. Constitution was an action taken to fix the weaknesses of the central government.
In the article, “The Summer of 1787: Getting a Constitution”, by J. D. Williams, the failures of the Articles of Confederation are illustrated and the actions are taken to not only amend the articles but also the creation of the constitution are interpreted. Williams demonstrates how the states were not united during the Revolutionary war and how it created many challenges. He states, “the continental Congress realized that the disunited states could never defeat the British without a regular government”. As a result, the Articles of Confederation were formed. However, it was a simple structure and made a weak central government. It is clear that the Articles of Confederation had weaknesses and the constitution was created to form a stronger central government.
Overall, many factors influence a country’s government's strength, but the constitutional convention was a fundamental process in creating a strong government that is still used to this day.
