Question

Write in your own words, what happen in 1787 Constitutional Convention of 1787? What were some of major provisions took placed of the constitution of 1787?

Answer 1

The constitutional convention, which is also known as Philadelphia Convention, took place from May 25^th to September 17 in 1787 at Old Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia. The main aim of the convention was to revise the league of states and the earlier systems of the government under the Articles of Confederation. But many of its proponents including the chief among them James Madison and Alexander Hamilton had an intention to create a new government rather than fixing the existing one.

            The United States constitution that was formed as a result of this led to the formation of federal government with more specific powers. This also included the relations with the foreign government. After the ratification, the new Constitution came into being in 1789 and has been the basis of US Government ever since. George Washington was unanimously elected the president of the Convention. The various provisions that are made in the Constitutional Convention are :

1. Virginia Plan – This proposed the formation of a very strong bicameral system. It suggested that the lower house will be elected by the people and the upper house will be elected by the lower house members. The executive would exist to make sure that the will of legislative is carried out. Virginia plan also created Judiciary and gave some veto power to both executive and judiciary.
2. New Jersey plan – This emphasized the equal representation of all stared in the Congress. An executive branch was also created which was multi person in nature. Also, it stated that any law set by the congress would take precedence over state laws. This was rejected when the plan was submitted.
3. Hamilton’s plan – When both Virginia and Hamilton plan didn’t meet the required needs, Alexander Hamilton proposed his own plan which was also known as British plan. This had a resemblance with the British system of centralized government. The plan proposed a bicameral legislature where the lower house elected members every 3 years. Governor was also an elected executive who enjoyed absolute veto over bills.

Out of the 55 delegates who attended the constitutional convention, 39 delegates signed.