Dialogues
A New Government
During the Revolutionary War each state agreed to follow the laws in the
Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation limited the federal
government’s powers. When the Articles of Confederation governed America, some
of its important achievements were the military and political alliance with France,
victory over England, and the settlement of western land disputes.
On most issues, the Articles of Confederation granted more power to state
governments than to the federal government. Because of disparities in population
and land mass, the states were not equal in economic power. The debt from the
Revolutionary War was not addressed equally among the states.
Delegates to a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786, tried to reach
agreement on interstate commerce regulations. However, only five states attended,
so no action could be taken. A unanimous vote of the states was needed to change
the Articles of Confederation. Because no agreements could be reached, the
delegates proposed another convention. They wanted to have delegates for all the
states, including some members of the current Congress, to attend this meeting.
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Dialogues
Characters:
Franklin
Washington
Madison
Hamilton
Narrator(s)
state delegates from
Virginia
New Jersey
South Carolina
Pennsylvania
Connecticut
Maryland
Georgia
state delegates from
Delaware
New York
North Carolina
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Scene I
Delegates from each state received an invitation to attend a convention in
Philadelphia. The purpose of the convention is to discuss federal matters the
Articles of Confederation regulated. The convention would begin at the
Pennsylvania State House on the second Monday in May 1787. Fifty-five men,
representing every state except Rhode Island, arrived for the conference. The
delegate’s average age was 35, and Benjamin Franklin at 81 was the oldest
delegate. The delegates voted George Washington to be the presiding officer of the
meeting. The delegates also decided their discussions would not be publicized; and
each state, regardless of its population, would have one vote to indicate its
approval or disapproval of the meeting’s proposals.
Washington: Let us first agree on the purpose of this meeting and the rules this
meeting will follow. Since the specifics of our discussions will be withheld from
the public, we will protect our safety. Now, let each man have his say.
Connecticut: I understand this meeting is to make amendments concerning
commerce to the Articles of Confederation. Have I wasted my time coming here
today?
South Carolina: We need to set up rules for commerce and to include addressing
trade with both France and England.
Virginia: International trade is important, but what about trade routes within these
United States? Virginians have difficulty trading on the Potomac River because
Maryland also trades on the Potomac.
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Maryland: The people of Maryland are allowed to use the Potomac River; it does
not belong to Virginia.
Massachusetts: What about war debts from the Revolutionary War? Virginians
are struggling to repay our loans.
Private conversations have commenced, as each delegate attempts to address his
state’s problems. None of the delegates are listening to any delegate who is
formally addressing the meeting.
Washington: Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Listen, everyone here will have a chance to
speak. We must try to address concerns one at a time, so we can improve the
Articles of Confederation.
James Madison: Sir, I have not planned to remain in Philadelphia for years. The
issue at hand is the Articles of Confederation – the entire document!
Alexander Hamilton: Yes, I agree with Mr. Madison. Leadership is absent from
the Articles of Confederation.
The meeting room is abuzz with conversation. Washington sees Franklin sitting
quietly and keeping notes.
Washington: Gentlemen! What I am hearing is we are considering the creation of
a new form of government. Do we want a government with strong leadership and
the ability to hold the states together?
Franklin: (in a soft voice) We should carefully consider what we are attempting.
Our nation barely has one voice under the Articles of Confederation. However,
does the world see us as one nation? I do not know. How will such changes present
us to world powers? We must be careful news of our work does not leave this
room until it is completed.
Washington: Yes, it is agreed privacy is paramount, and we will need to meet
each day until we have completed our goals. Our task is great, and many voices
must be heard. We must be committed to finishing what we start. Those delegates
who must leave may do so, only after they have had a chance to say their peace.
They also must be assured the right to return.
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Pennsylvania: How shall we make changes or create a new document when
delegates are absent from our meetings? Rhode Island delegates are afraid of
changes because of their state’s size.
Washington: We will use a majority vote on all items with one vote per state. If I
may have a show of hands in agreement, we will vote to write a new document for
our nation. We will reconvene in the morning.
The entire group agreed they would continue to meet and to work to create a new
government document. The men would meet for many days, weeks, and months.
Many new ideas were presented. Two plans, the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey
Plan, would divide the delegates
James Madison created the Virginia Plan, and Edmund Randolph presented it to
the delegates. The Virginia Plan advocated a supreme legislative branch
subdivided into two houses, as well as executive and judiciary branches. The
aspect of the Virginia Plan that divided the delegates was the numbers of delegates
in the legislature allotted to each state and how this number of delegates would be
determined. According to the Virginia Plan, the number of legislative delegates
would be allotted according to the state’s population. States that were more
populous would have a larger number of delegates.
William Paterson presented the New Jersey Plan. The New Jersey Plan advocated
a federal, not a national government. The New Jersey Plan would establish one
legislative body, and each state would be represented equally. Congress was
awarded expanded privileges to tax and to regulate commerce. This plan made few
changes to the Articles of Confederation.
Scene II
The delegates had been together for almost two months, and there remained many
unresolved disagreements. This scene opens during a meeting in the Philadelphia
State House. Both the July weather and the delegates’ tempers were hot.
New Jersey: We cannot only speak of the Virginia Plan as if that is the plan to
which we have agreed. There are far too many aspects to this plan that will cause
its failure.
North Carolina: While I agree with the delegate from New Jersey; however, we
cannot continue to discuss both plans because we not making progress.
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Furthermore, if we cannot reach some agreement soon, I may withdraw from these
talks.
Washington: Men, I know that we are hot and have been working hard; but we
cannot ignore the problems. We somehow must overcome and press to a
resolution. We must reach a compromise between the two plans. There is merit in
each plan.
Delaware: Sir, how will we finally put an end to it?
Washington: We will form a committee to reach a compromise. Mr. Franklin, will
you lead this committee?
Franklin: I would be honored to lead this committee. I will have only one delegate
from each state on my committee. We will seek resolutions to our differences.
The scene ends with the committee exiting the general meeting room to resolve the
issues that have stymied the convention delegates.
Scene III
The scene opens as the members of Franklin’s committee are debating.
New York: Well I agree with the delegate from Virginia. Why should New Jersey
have the same number of votes as New York? New Jersey’s population is not even
half that of New York.
New Jersey: My state will not enter a union in which it is treated unfairly. As
colonies we separated from England because we were not fairly represented in the
British Parliament.
Virginia: The Virginia plan is fair! Each state will exert its influence according to
its population.
Maine: Which people in each state are counted in the census to determine
population? Are slaves counted in the census?
South Carolina: If South Carolina cannot count its slaves, South Carolina will
with draw from this convention!
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Franklin: Gentlemen, we cannot continue this way; or I will be forced to report to
General Washington that compromise is impossible! We must not become
discouraged. Let’s continue, and not be distracted from our task.
Connecticut: I have a solution to the representation problem. Why not have two
legislative houses? One house’s representation is equal; there are two
representatives from each state. The other would have representatives based on a
state’s population. Each house will have a leader, and the two houses will be equal
in power. Thus, all states will have equal representation.
Connecticut delegate, Roger Sherman, presented the agreement to Franklin’s
committee. This agreement was the Great Compromise or the Connecticut
Compromise. Franklin’s committee had conquered its greatest obstacle. On July
16, 1787, Franklin presented his committee’s solution to the general convention.
Franklin: General Washington, members of the convention, we have reached
agreement on the many matters set before us. On the matter of representation, we
propose a two-house representation. On the matter of a census for representation
and taxation, slaves will be counted as three-fifths of one person. Although no state
achieved all of its goals, the delegates of my committee agreed to these
compromises.
The convention delegates continued to debate and to write their new government
document. They debated and achieved compromise on sovereignty, limiting power
within the government, the power to tax, to regulate commerce, to control
currency, and to prohibit individual states from overpowering the federal
government.
Scene IV
The scene opens again two months later. It is now September of 1787. The
delegates have resolved many more differences. No delegates agree with
everything in this new government document.
New Hampshire: Gentlemen, we have been here since May. Surely, we are
progressing to more agreement than regressing to more disagreement.
Georgia: Yes, I think we are getting ready to finalize this document, the United
States Constitution.
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New York and Maine: I believe we are ready to vote.
Virginia: I still do not approve of some of the changes to the original Virginia
Plan, but I agree we must move forward.
New York: Mr. Franklin, what do you think of this Unite States Constitution?
Franklin: Sir, I consent to this Constitution. I expect there could be no better, and
I am sure it is the best.
Washington: I call for a vote to accept this United States Constitution. It is the
best document this convention’s delegates can provide for the people of our United
States.
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution. Many
delegates would not approve the Constitution without discussing it with their state
leaders. Many state leaders shared the original delegates’ objections to the
Constitution. Nevertheless, as time passed, their fears subsided; and the
Constitution was approved. The main opposition to the Constitution was the lack of
a listing of individual rights. This concern would be remedied with the first ten
amendments added to the United States Constitution.
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Name: ____________________________
Dialogues
Date: ____________________
A New Government
Discussion Questions:
1. What was the original purpose for the meeting in Philadelphia?
2. Why did the delegates decide to create a new government document?
3. What were the major differences between the New Jersey Plan and the
Virginia Plan?
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