The Great Compromise and the Struggle to Preserve State Sovereignty
The first weeks of July, 1787 were full of fiery speeches, threats of disunion, and tenuous compromises. In other words, just an ordinary time at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. On July 16, 1787 after nearly two weeks of debate, the convention adopted what has...
Alexander Hamilton’s Biggest Big Government Plan
Alexander Hamilton had a lot of big government plans for the United States, but his craziest plan may have been his proposal for an 11-point plan for government that he gave during a day-long speech at the Philadelphia Convention on June 18, 1787. At this stage of the...
The Founders and the Constitution: The Connecticut Delegates
The other essays in the “Founders and the Constitution” series each covered one individual. This final essay covers three: the extraordinary group who served as Connecticut’s commissioners (delegates) to the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Early Connecticut was known...