The History Behind the Constitutional Convention

Historical Significance of U.S. Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia in 1787, from May 25 of that year to September 17, and had the ultimate effect of leading to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, the foundational document for the nation’s current governmental and legal infrastructure. As such, the U.S. Constitutional Convention is universally considered one of the landmark points in the history of the United States.

The 55 people who took part in the U.S. Constitutional Convention are accordingly considered “Founding Fathers” of the country, in the terms of the category maintained for men who played a crucial role in the early formation of the United States.

Background for the U.S. Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention was called into being due to concern on the part of several of the Founding Fathers, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, that the then-applicable documents providing for the structure of the U.S. government, as consisting of the Articles of Confederation, were not sufficiently cohesive. The Constitutional Convention, under the direction of George Washington, drafted a document, following a period of concerted debate, for the provision or withholding of ratification on the part of the U.S. state legislatures. After ratification had been approved by the states, the Constitution as drawn up by the Constitutional Convention went into effect on March 4, 1789 in the form of bringing the U.S. government into existence.

Connecticut Compromise

The debate involved in the U.S. Constitutional Convention was settled by the Connecticut Compromise, between the New Jersey and Virginia Plans.

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