In May 1787, Delegates from 12 states gathered at
___________________ Hall in ______________________, Pennsylvania. They came
together to discuss the young nation’s problems and to consider changes to the
government. George Washington, Alexander ______________________, and other
leaders had grown dissatisfied with the weak central government as laid out in the
____________________ of ____________________________.
At first the delegates talked about ways of revising the less-thanperfect Articles of Confederation. But soon they decided to replace the Articles with
a new plan of government, called The _______________________________. The
delegates at the meeting, called the Constitutional Convention, included many of the
nation’s best known and most able citizens. Of the 55 men, included were:
3. George Washington of __________________ –
president of the convention. Considered a safe bet for
the new executive spot.
Alexander Hamilton (New York) – supported a
strong national government that would have far more
power than the states.
Ben Franklin (Pennsylvania) - His wisdom and humor
helped ease tensions during heated debates. His
presence lent credibility to the meeting.
The delegates agreed from the beginning that
important powers had to be given to the new
federal (national) government that were
lacking in the old plan. Congress would be
given the authority to levy and collect taxes
and to control trade among the states and
foreign countries. They wanted an executive
branch, headed by a president, to carry out
the laws. Also needed was a judicial branch,
or system of courts, to interpret
2. James Madison (Virginia) – kept detailed notes of
the meetings and suggested many of the key ideas
that led to a strong national govt.
Several distinguished Americans did not
attend the Convention. John
___________ and Thomas
_________________ were in Europe
representing the United States to Britain
and France. Sam _________ and
Patrick ___________ refused to attend
as they opposed changing the Articles.
They favored a weak central
government in favor of strong state
authority.
1. Gouverneur Morris (New York) - a skillful writer
who gave the document its final prose and wording.
Roger Sherman (Connecticut) – proposes the
compromise that leads to the legislative house and
senate.
the law. Of course they disagreed on how to
reach these goals. In many cases a
compromise had to be worked out between
two opposing groups.
The main points of disagreement are listed on
the chart on the following pages. Start with the
most basic, the conflict between large and
small states. Read each side, and then write
a compromise that both sides might think
is fair. Remember, in a compromise neither
group gets everything they want. Fold your
paper as directed to show your idea, and then
reveal the actual compromise worked out by
the delegates.
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