The Making of the American Constitution - Zoom
F 2021

Description

In 1787, 55 men convened in Philadelphia ostensibly “for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.” However, many, Washington, Hamilton, Madison and Franklin included, recognized that the sovereignty and independence guaranteed to each state by the Articles of Confederation doomed the union. A new document that would establish a government that could address the issues and problems of a new republic and could be amended to address those of the future needed to be written. These 55 men orated and debated in secrecy for four months in the sweltering heat of Philadelphia to frame a document that would define a democratic government for their new nation. They wrote the American Constitution. 

This SDG will explore the issues that made the discussion of a Constitution inevitable, the disputes that took place during the Constitutional Convention, the men who worked to make this document a reality, their political thought, the alliances they made and the compromises that were required. Knowing that what they had created was imperfect, the framers finally had to return to their states to seek ratification.  

In sum, we will learn about the individual men who participated in the Constitutional Convention, but will focus on the arguments, the reasonings 

Weekly Topics

  1. The state of the union in the 1780’s under the Articles of Confederation
  2. The Federalists vs. the Anti-federalists & the ratification debates: states issues, amendments, bill of rights question
  3. American Political Culture: Ideas of government. What writings and thought influenced the framers? (Enlightenment, English constitutional heritage, Declaration of Independence)
  4. Convention: manners, rules, roles, duties, committees and process. 
  5. Plans: Virginia Plan, Connecticut Compromise, New Jersey Plan, British Plan 
  6. The framers: Washington, Hamilton, Madison, Franklin
  7. The framers continued: Pinckney, Sherman, Martin, Paterson, Wilson, Gerry, Mason
  8. Economic Issues: money, debt, exporting state vs. non-exporting states 
  9. Color & female Issues: blacks and native Americans, women
  10. Sectional Interests: Large/small states, the concern over westward expansion, agriculturalists vs. merchants
  11. Alliances of members and reasons for those alliances; compromises
  12. Religion: Why and how religion was kept out of the Constitution
  13.  The Legislative Branch: state & Articles of Confederation models, conflicts and compromises
  14.  The Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch: powers and problems
  15. Reading of The Constitution: How did the framers for the Constitution believe the Constitution was going to be read in the future? Do we read it differently than they did?
  16.  The Bill of Rights

Bibliography

Core Book: Miracle At Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, by Catherine Bowen

Other resources:

Federalists and Antifederalists: The Debate Over the Ratification of the Constitution  



Websites

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters

http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_home_Landing.aspx National Constitution Center