Greg Lim Pd. 7 10/6/02
In May of 1787, a group of representatives from all the states but one, gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss and revise the Articles of Confederation. Some of the most prominent people of the time such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison represented each state and its interests. Soon after gathering, the delegates realized that the Articles of Confederation could not be modified to give our new country a strong government. Hence, they agreed that a new document had to be drawn up to give the United States the strong central government it desperately needed. James Madison and Roger Sherman were two of the main contributor's whose ideas lead to the Constitution that we now have today.
James Madison, sometimes known as the "Father of the Constitution," was a person who blended together the scholar and the politician. Madison prepared for weeks for the convention my researching many books about different types of government.
The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781. T...
James Madison, Hamilton's major collaborator, late...
The Articles of Conferderation, ratified in 1781. ...From his research, Madison was able to purpose the Virginia plan, which would help our constitution avoid the shortcomings of other types of government. During the proceedings of the convention, James Madison purposed 71 different suggestions to the convention and spoke over 160 times. Madison also took detailed notes of the proceedings, giving us the details of what went on behind the closed doors of the convention.
Another major contributor to the creation of our Constitution was Roger Sherman.
One of the major disagreements that threatened to destroy the Constitution was the disagreement of how many representatives each state should have. The larger states wanted it based on population, but the smaller states wanted only one vote for each state. Sherman, a delegate from Connecticut, intervened and purposed that a two-house legislature be created. According to his...