The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. Almost immediately, delegates unanimously agreed on replacing the Articles with a new document that created a stronger central government. However, the representatives could agree on little else after that.
             The crafting of the U.S. Constitution highlighted the intense conflicts that existed in 1787 between states large and small, between North and south, and between various political philosophies. But rather than defeating the process, the conflicts between delegates resulted in compromises that strengthened and improved the document. The method of settlement exhibited by the representatives was in many ways reflected in the flexibility the document allowed for continuous political debate, compromise, and adaptation.
             The delegates based their initial government design on political theories and their own experience with the government under the Articles. The rest of the issues presented themselves in the form of debates overrepresentation, the enumeration of slaves, the control of commerce, the protection of individual rights, and the amount of power granted to the people.
             Delegates understood that the Articles of Confederation had been severely hampered by the inability to collect taxes and enforce any of its laws. They also realized that without a strong central government to establish a line of credit, negotiate uniform trade laws, and guarantee domestic peace, they would gain no respect in the world arena and become an easy target for invasion. The states had taken to petty arguments and jealous behaviors and showed no sign of mutual respect. Therefore, the power to tax, the management of enforcement of the law, and the creation of a national government that was superior to the states' government became priorities at the Convention.
             The concept of a stable central government comprised of three branches empowered to chec...