The men who were sent by their state legislatures to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 were assigned the task of revising the Articles of Confederation.
Instead, they drafted a new constitution to replace the Articles.
But who were these 55 men, whom we now call the Framers of the Constitution?
The youngest was Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, and the oldest was Benjamin Franklin, aged 81; the average age was forty-two.
Most were prominent in their states, and some had played important roles in the Revolution.
In addition to Franklin, notable delegates included George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, Edmond Randolph, and Roger Sherman.
Over the next 55 days, 60-Second Civics will present brief biographies of each of these Framers, the men who created a framework for government that has survived more than 200 years.