The Convention
|
T |
he
convention was scheduled to begin on May 14, but did not achieve a quorum of
delegations from more than half the states until May 25. Eventually there were
12 delegations. Rhode Island boycotted the convention.
On May
25, 1787, delegates from seven states had arrived. A quorum had been achieved
and the convention could begin.
The
delegates, 55 in all, but never more than 30 or 35 at once, sealed themselves
inside a room no bitter than a large schoolroom in Philadelphia's state House.
They posted sentries at the doors and windows to keep their "secrets from
flying out." They barred the press and public, and took a vow not to
reveal to anyone the words spoken. With the doors and windows closed, the
little room where the convention met for up to six hours a day, was stiflingly
hot. There were speeches that lasted two, three or four hours. The convention
took a single break, for 11 days.
Over four months, the delegates hammered out
compromises that established a system flexible to withstand more than two
centuries of change. The delegates’ goals were contradictory: to strengthen the national government and to limit its
power.
On many issues, there
was deep division. The convention flip-flopped five times on whether the
president should be eligible for reelection. When truly stymied, the convention
would appoint a committee to come up with a solution and present it to the full
convention.