The Founders and the Constitution: George Mason
“If the Govt. is to be lasting, it must be founded in the confidence & affections of the people …” -George Mason, at the Constitutional Convention, Aug. 13, 1787. George Mason of Virginia helped construct the Constitution. He then opposed ratifying the very...
This Week at the Constitutional Convention of 1787: First Draft of Constitution Presented to Delegates
This was a big week in 1787. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia finally received printed copies of the first draft of what would become the new Constitution of the United States. John Rutledge of South Carolina, chairman of the...
Benjamin Franklin Urges Adoption of the Constitution with a Warning
On September 17, 1787, James Wilson delivered a speech written by Benjamin Franklin on the last day of the Philadelphia Convention. The speech urged the adoption of the Constitution despite Franklin’s reservations – and prediction that the system would...