Essay, Research Paper: Constitutional Convention

Of all the books that were written about the making of the Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention, the most fitting title is "Miracle at Philadelphia." This essay is meant to prove that this title is the one which best expresses what went on in Philadelphia for those sweltering four months. This was a critical period in our nation's history. If the delegates had failed, then we might not be a nation, but a land of fifty countries. The Constitution set forth a strong national government which this country needed.
The Convention pitted west against east, north against south, the larger states against the smaller states, and still managed to pull together one of the greatest and most important documents this world has ever known. The men who participated in this convention did not call it a "Constitutional Convention," because this would have scared away a majority of the delegates who were nervous and apprehensive. Gouverneur Morris from Pennsylvania disliked westerners and their ways. He tried to make it very hard for them to become part of the Union. James Madison, one of the most influential delegates, spoke out against Morris and his views. Madison was the note-taker for the Convention and he was a main organizer of it. Madison stated that westerners deserved equality like all other states ad should be looked on as natural brethren. Most of the delegates sided with Madison. Even George Mason, another Virginian, but totally differing in views from Madison, supported his arguments. This is an example of two men from opposite sides coming together for the common good.
At the Convention, most of the delegates were opposed to slavery. The men from the South, though, had been relying on slaves since the beginning of the colonies. These states made it clear that they would not be part of the Union if it denied them the right to own and import slaves. John Rutledge from South Carolina wanted the vote in the lower house to be proportional and that blacks should count in the population. Elbridge Gerry from Massachusetts, who had attended the signing of the Declaration of Independence, stated then that since blacks are only used like horses and cattle, shouldn't horses and cattle have the right to vote? This was a stinging question that hung with the delegates until James Wilson from Pennsylvania suggested the "three-fifths rule." This rule was for every five slaves, only three of them counted toward the population count for the House of Representatives. The southern delegates were still not satisfied so the delegates wrote in the Constitution that the national government would not interfere with the slave trade until 1808.
The scariest controversy at the convention was the issue of equal versus proportional representation in the Senate. This issue threatened to break up the convention just a few weeks into it. It had already pretty much been decided that the House of Representatives would have proportional representation, meaning that each state got a number of delegates based on the state's individual population. The major question was as to whether or not the Senate, or the "upper house," would be this way too. Early on James Madison and Edmund Randolph of Virginia had come up with the Virginia Plan, which provided that there would be a strong national government and that the Senate would have proportional representation. This plan favored the large states. So to counteract that plan, William Paterson of New Jersey came up with what came to be known as the New Jersey Plan. This plan provided that the Senate would have equal representation and continue with the weak national government like the one under the Articles of Confederation. The small states were afraid that the Virginia Plan would give the larger states too much power over the small states. So the delegates came up with the Great Compromise. This agreement meant that the Senate would have equal representation. Of course the rest of the New Jersey Plan had been voted down because of its inclination toward a weak central government.
Added onto these Herculean tasks, were the facts that that summer was the hottest Philadelphia had ever had and there were no air-conditioners, and they were scared that the people might not accept their new and improved government. Benjamin Franklin and George Washington attended to give some authority to the delegates. At 81, Ben Franklin was the oldest delegate, hailing from Pennsylvania. Washington presided over the meetings. Even though people like George Mason didn't sign the finished Constitution, and they seemed to be hindering the process, they did help make sure that all views were represented, setting forth a standard to be followed in American government for years to come.