American Experiment, The: Steps Toward a Constitutional Democracy
In the 19th century British Prime Minister Gladstone called the American Constitution "the most remarkable work in modern times produced by the human intellect at a single stroke." Historian Bernard Bailyn agrees that our constitutional system is re...
American Experiment, The: Two Roads to Philadelphia
Two sets of issues led to convention in Philadelphia: the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and the problems individual states were experiencing. When the Annapolis convention did not attract a quorum, a general convention was called for the...
American Experiment, The: Representation in the House and Senate
Madison and other large state delegates believed that representation in both houses of Congress should be apportioned on the basis of population or population and wealth. Small-state delegates argued for equal representation. How the compromise was ...
American Experiment, The: Three-fifths Compromise, The
The separate economic interests of the northern and southern states became the basis for a second major debate. Would slaves who could not vote be counted as part of the population in determining the size of a state's representation in Congress or w...
American Experiment, The: Will the Philadelphia Convention Attract a Quorum?
As the Convention neared, George Washington's involvement in the proceedings was uncertain. His presence would be a real political asset, Madison knew, but the general would not be happy if the convention attracted too few delegates as had happened ...
American Experiment, The: Challenge of Creating a Central Government, The
The Framers of the Constitution faced an enormous challenge, trying to create a government with sufficient central power to govern a vast territory and yet make it compatible with individual liberties. It was decided by a committee of the whole to c...
American Experiment, The: Framers of the Constitution, The
The people invited to participate in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were not a representative sample of the American population. Some of the 55 delegates were only in attendance for a few days or weeks. In fact, only 12 to 15 speakers represe...
American Experiment, The: Ratification Strategies
In order to avoid the pitfalls that made the Articles of Confederation unworkable, and yet have a chance to gain approval for the newly completed Constitution, the framers devised an ingenious scheme. They said states could approve the Constitution ...
American Experiment, The: Impact of the Convention Compromises
Jack Rakove, Stanford professor and Pulitzer prize-winning author, analyzes the long-term impact of the compromise decisions made at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Which has had a greater impact on the United States, the compromise over slav...