1. Background. With dissatisfaction mounting against the Articles, Congress although reluctant to initiate any change, in 17787 issued a call for a convention at Philadelphia for the "sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation."
             2. Absentees. The delegates to the Philadelphia Convention were appointed by the state legislatures or governors. The convention thus included scarcely any representatives of over 90 percent of the country's population: small farmers, city workers, and frontier dwellers. Also, several leaders of the Revolutionary period were absent: Patrick Henry, who opposed a strong central government, refused to attend, and John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were abroad as our ministers in London and Paris.
             3. Delegates. The Philadelphia Convention consisted of 55 delegates from all the states except Rhode Island. They were mainly lawyers, large landowners, bankers, and merchants; they reflected property and business interests. They were well-educated persons, widely read in history, government, and law, and many had considerable political experience.
             Several outstanding leaders exercised great influence over the convention. (a) George Washington presided with dignity and fairness. (b) James Madison, a scholar of government, took detailed notes of the proceedings. Since the delegates conferred in secret to facilitate agreement, Madison's notes are our chief source of information about the convention. Madison played a major role in the proceedings and has been called the father of the constitution. (c) Alexander Hamilton, a lawyer and son-in-law of a large New York lanowner, spoke eloquently for a strong central government controlled by the educated and wealthy. (d) Benjamin Franklin employed his wisdom and prestige to bring about agreement on crucial issues.
             4. Points of Agreement: Lessons Learned From Experience Under the Articles. (a) Agreeing that the Articles of confederation w...