Constitutional Convention

What was the convention?

In February 1787, Congress examined a letter from a man named John Dickinson, who was a chairman at the Annapolis Convention. This letter spoke about updating the Articles of Confederation. Congress ultimately agreed with this letter being quoted “inefficiency of the federal government and the necessity of devising such farther provisions as shall render the same adequate to the exigencies of the Union.“ And thus the debate's origin began.

The Convention was held in the independence hall in Philly Pennsylvania, from the 25th of May to the 17th of September 1787. The convention lasted so long because they had to address troubles from the American Revolution and the Articles of Confederation.

The articles of confederation while problematic, went into effect as the frame for the government after gaining independence from Britain. This frame intentionally made the federal government weak to keep independence in the states rather than the federal government. (History.com)

What did the Convention do?

The Constitutional Convention was the introduction to replacing the Articles of Confederation by reforming the central government. This idea was proposed because the central government lacked power. The Constitutional Convention was ultimately a success by introducing a new central government with new checks and balances. By introducing three governing branches, they all have the power to watch over each other preventing each branch from becoming too powerful. The Constitution was later ratified by the states, officially replacing the Articles of Confederation and establishing the United States as a nation under a new form of government. (history.state.gov)

Who wrote the Convention?

The man who wrote the Constitution, also known as Jacob Shallus, was not a delegate. He was the assistant clerk of the Pennsylvania State Assembly and was paid $30 and only had two days to write the majority of the document's 4,543 words. Of the spelling errors in the Constitution, "Pensylvania" above the signers' names is probably the most blatant.

Before the convention broke off, William Jackson (who served as the secretary of the 1787 Constitutional Convention) gave the journals of the records from these meetings to Washington. Jackson compiled after he destroyed "all the loose scraps of papers" he had. After these meetings, Jackson was ordered to publish all the materials he had; however, shortly after he published them people realized his notes were not a clean set of transcriptions, they were not in order and were inaccurate. (blogs.loc.gov)

The Convention operated under secrecy

To encourage open debates and prevent the public from pressuring delegates, they agreed to keep the convention's discussions entirely secret. Windows were shut, guards were posted, and no official records of daily debates were released till after. This secrecy helped them throughout the process meaning that the public has little input on the convention until it was set in stone. (WorldHistory.org)

Rode Island's absence

Rhode Island opposed a stronger central government because, it feared it would lose it's power. The state was known for it's independence and didn't like the constitution's goal to make a stronger central government. As the smallest state, Rhode Island also worried the central government would limit it's power.

Why is the convention relevant today?

The constitutional convention is still incredibly important today because, the U.S. Constitution established the framework for the central government that still operates today including the separation of powers through 3 branches, and the structure of executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Alongside this, it's a living document because the Constitution is supposed to be able to adapt. Through amendments, it's principles continue to be updated even today. With all of this, the Bill of Rights was added later, debates during the convention created certain freedoms like free speech, and right to religion.

Jacob Shallus

Assistant clerk of the Pennsylvania State Assembly

William Jackson

Secretary of the 1787 Constitutional Convention

John Dickinson

Chairman at the Annapolis Convention

Learn More:

constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/white-papers/the-constitutional-convention-of-1787-a-revolution-in-government

Work Cited:

Wood, M. (2018, September 17). Constitution day: Records of the constitutional convention: In Custodia legis. The Library of Congress. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2018/09/constitution-day-records-of-the-constitutional-convention/

Mark, H. W. (2024, September 10). Constitutional convention. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Constitutional_Convention/

A&E Television Networks. (2025, May 28). 7 things you may not know about the Constitutional Convention. History.com. https://www.history.com/articles/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-constitutional-convention

U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). U.S. Department of State. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/convention-and-ratification

Fascinating facts about the U.S. Constitution. Constitution Facts - Official U.S. Constitution Website. (n.d.). https://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-constitution-amendments/fascinating-facts/?srsltid=AfmBOoo9hBbf2a7o9yJEMEyzHGtKgkCQLNNSP7plUCl8tgkmOCiLgp-d

The Constitutional Convention of 1787: A Revolution in Government. National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org. (n.d.). https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/white-papers/the-constitutional-convention-of-1787-a-revolution-in-government

Mandresh, J. (2020, January 21). William Jackson - Secretary at the Constitutional Convention. Founder of the Day. https://www.founderoftheday.com/founder-of-the-day/william-jackson

Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, June 11). History of the United States constitution. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_Constitution

Checks and balances | definition & examples - lesson | study.com. (n.d.). https://study.com/academy/lesson/system-of-checks-balances-purpose-importance-examples.html

A brief guide to 1787. Quill Project. (n.d.). https://www.quill.pmb.ox.ac.uk/1787-history-guide

World History Edu. (2024, November 11). Jacob Shallus: The Pennman of the original copy of the United States constitution. https://worldhistoryedu.com/jacob-shallus/

The great debate. Constitution Facts - Official U.S. Constitution Website. (n.d.-b). https://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-articles-of-confederation/the-great-debate/

Khan Academy. (n.d.). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-principles-of-american-government/a/principles-of-american-government-article

Creating a Constitution | To Form a More Perfect Union | Articles and Essays | Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789 | Digital Collections | Library of Congress[Detail] First Draft of the Report of the Committee of Five of the Federal Convention Philadelphia: s.n., 1787. Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called to revise the ailing Articles of Confederation. However, the Convention soon abandoned the Articles, drafting a new Constitution with a much stronger national government. Nine states had to approve the Constitution before it could go into effect. After a long and often bitter debate, eleven states ratified the Constitution, which instituted a new form of government for the United States.

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