(1781-1789) The first constitution of the United States, created to form a perpetual union and a firm league of friendship among the thirteen original states. It was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification.

A form of political organization in which the sovereign states combine for certain specified purposes, such as mutual defense. Member states can leave a confederation at any time. The United States was a confederation from 1776 to 1789.

An armed revolt by Massachusetts farmers seeking relief from debt and mortgage foreclosures. The rebellion fueled support for amending the Articles of Confederation.

Franklin was the oldest delegate to the Philadelphia Convention. With the possible exception of George Washington, Franklin was the best-known man in America. Born into a poor family, Franklin became an inventor, scientist, diplomat, and publisher. His Poor Richard's Almanac was read nationwide. His career in public service was long and varied, and included service as ambassador to England and France and as governor of Pennsylvania. At the Philadelphia Convention, Franklin was a compromiser, using wit to bring delegates together. A staunch advocate of colonial rights, he helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Treaty of Paris (1783). He played an important role in creating the Great Compromise. He favored a strong national government and argued that the Framers should trust the judgment of the people. Although he was in poor health in 1787, he missed few sessions, being carried to and from the meeting place in a special chair. Although he did not agree with everything in the Constitution, he believed that no other convention could come up with a better document.

George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. He grew up there on several plantations along the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. He was not particularly well educated, but did learn surveying. In 1753, he began his service to the country, which was to continue throughout his life, despite his desire to live a more private existence. Washington's efforts as commander of the Continental Army are well known. After the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, Washington returned to his home, Mount Vernon. Although he did not initially want to attend the Philadelphia Convention, his friends convinced him that his presence was necessary. He was elected president of the convention but spoke little. His presence and approval, however, were important. Nearly everyone assumed that Washington would be the first president of the United States, which, of course, he was, serving from 1789-1797.

Revolutionary soldier and postwar rebel. One of several leaders of the revolt in western Massachusetts against the state government. In 1786, he led armed farmers in a raid on the Springfield arsenal. Fled to Vermont when his band was defeated and later settled in New York.

The "Father of the Constitution" was born to a wealthy Virginia family. He was taught at home and in private schools, then graduated from the College of New Jersey. While deciding whether to become a lawyer or minister, Madison became involved in the revolutionary cause, thereby entering state and local politics. His poor health kept him from serving in the military. In 1780, Madison was chosen to serve in the Continental Congress, where he played a major role. He was one of the most influential voices calling for a constitutional convention. He came to the Philadelphia Convention with a plan for the new government, took extensive notes on the proceedings, spoke more than 150 times, and worked tirelessly on various committees. As one of the authors of The Federalist, Madison was also a key figure in the battle for ratification. Following the convention, Madison served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, helping to frame the Bill of Rights and organize the executive department. Under Jefferson, Madison served as secretary of state. He then succeeded Jefferson as president. In retirement, Madison continued to speak out on public issues.

Hamilton was a senior aide-de-camp to General Washington and an artillery captain during the Revolutionary War. He was a delegate from New York to the Philadelphia Convention and one of three authors of The Federalist, written to urge ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He later served as the first secretary of the treasury, put the nation's finances on a firm footing and advocated a strong national government.

Franklin's Plan of July 1775

Access the Material

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress lacked the authority to tax citizens. To raise revenue, it passed the Land Ordinance of 1785, which surveyed and sold off land acquired from Britain at the end of the American Revolution.

Access the Material

The Articles of Confederation were, in effect, the first constitution of the United States. Drafted in 1777 by the same Continental Congress that passed the Declaration of Independence, the articles established a "firm league of friendship" between and among the 13 states and, though the states were already in cooperation via the Continental Congress, the Articles of Confederation legally bound the states together.

Access the Material

With some estimates dating it back to 1090 CE, the Great Binding Law joining the original five Iroquois nations is said by many historians to have served as inspiration for the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.

Access the Material

James Madison's letter to George Washington, detailing his thoughts leading up to the Constitutional Convention, including federal versus consolidated government, relative voting power of states, national supremacy and the executive.

Access the Material

Jefferson's letter to James Madison on January 30, 1787, expressing aloofness and justification for the series of protests led by Daniel Shays and a group of 1,200 farmers. It contains the famous line, "a little rebellion now and then is a good thing," and notes that unsuccessful revolts often restrict the rights of the movements that produce them.

Access the Material

The report of the Annapolis Convention of 1786, where representatives sought to solve problems with interstate trade. Delegates were unable to make sufficient progress toward a resolution and called for a meeting the following May, which would be known as the Philadelphia Convention.

Access the Material

Madison's working paper outlining an agenda for the Constitutional Convention. He spoke of the defects of the Articles of Confederation as well as arguing that republican governments cannot rely on civic virtue to prevent tyranny of the majority.

Access the Material

As a result of the Massachusetts government's decision to punish the Regulators who stopped the court opening, this is Shays's notice to his followers to arm themselves for battle.

Access the Material

Massachusetts Governor James Bowdoin issued this proclamation calling for police and military force to suppress further Shaysite activities after hundreds of Regulators prevented the opening of the Court of Common Pleas in Northampton on August 29, 1786. This and other acts were considered to have the potential to undermine the government completely and Bowdoin wanted them quashed, even if by violent means.

Access the Material

From Wikipedia: The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784 (the ratification documents were exchanged in Paris on May 12, 1784), formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United States of America, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775.

Access the Material