The Formation of the United States: Part V-Compromises, Compromises and More Compromises

The Confederation Period lasted from 1783 to 1789. Following the end of the American Revolution in 1783, the newly independent states retained their sovereignty but were part of a confederation of states with a weak federal government. After it became clear that the confederation could not handle the challenges facing the states, a convention was held in Philadelphia which produced a constitution that created a new nation with a stronger federal government. Episode Four explains that after the majority of the delegations voted to accept a supreme national government, rather than a federation of states, the rest of the convention consisted of debates over the exact nature of the new government. Two months of lengthy speeches and grudging compromises produced a framework of government with a president and a proportionally representative House of Representatives and a Senate with equal representation from each state.

 

Cast of Characters:

George Washington- former Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, former delegate to the Continental Congress

Edmund Randolph-Governor of Virginia, former delegate to the Continental Congress

James Madison-delegate to the Confederation Congress

George Mason-member of the Virginia General Assembly, author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights

Benjamin Franklin-President of Pennsylvania, former minister to France, former Postmaster General, signer of the Declaration of Independence

Luther Martin-lawyer

Roger Sherman-former delegate to the Confederation Congress, former delegate to the Continental Congress, one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence

Gouverneur Morris-businessman, former Assistant Superintendent of Finance and former delegate to the Continental Congress

James Wilson-lawyer, former delegate to the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence

Alexander Hamilton-member of the New York State Legislature, former aide to General George Washington, commander of the Continental Army

John Rutledge-former governor of South Carolina and former delegate to the Continental Congress

Charles Pinckney-delegate to the Confederation Congress

 

Sources:

Plain, Honest Men: The Making of The American Constitution-Richard Beeman

The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution-David O. Stewart

Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership-Edward J. Larson

Founding Finance: How Debt, Speculation, Foreclosures, Protests, and Crackdowns Made Us a Nation-William Hogeland

The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788-1800-Stanley Elkins & Eric McKitrick

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789-Joseph J. Ellis

American Creation-Joseph J. Ellis

The Framers' Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution-Michael J. Klarman

Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution-Woody Holton

The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789-Edward J. Larson

Washington: A Life-Ron Chernow

His Excellency: George Washington-Joseph J. Ellis

George Washington: A Life-Willard Sterne Randall

Radical Hamilton: Economic Lessons from a Misunderstood Founder-Christian Parenti

Alexander Hamilton-Ron Chernow

Alexander Hamilton: A Life-Willard Sterne Randall

James Madison: A Biography-Ralph Ketcham

Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution-Charles Rappleye

Gentleman Revolutionary: Gouverneur Morris-The Rake Who Wrote the Constitution-Richard Brookhiser

The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789-Robert Middlekauff

 

Image Credit:

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy (1940) - The Indian Reporter, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=662340