Have you ever wanted to be in the room where it happened? If so, the National Park Service's online series, "The Constitutional Convention: A Day-by-Day Account" has you covered. Using James Madison's personal notes, this series offers a daily glimpse into the creation of one of the nation’s founding documents and delivers a gripping narrative of the ideas and compromises that shaped the nation. As September dawned, delegates are poised to make monumental decisions. Readers follow along as they finalize the separation of powers, create the Electoral College, and endure a contentious debate over the power of the presidency.
The daily record also illuminates how compromise created some of the most enduring elements. On September 10th, the convention debated how to amend the final document. Elbridge Gerry, a delegate from Massachusetts, believed that states should have a role in constitutional changes. Alexander Hamilton, representing New York, believed in a strong central government and felt that the power to amend should be Congress’ alone. As the convention neared its end, James Madison proposed the two-step amendment process that would become Article V and is still used today. Any proposed amendment would need two-thirds support of both houses of Congress and need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
Reading Madison’s notes as they play out in real time from May to September invites everyone to weigh the different points of view and appreciate the spirit of collaboration and compromise that brought a new form of government to life in 1789. To delve into this tension-filled history online, visit the Independence Hall website and read this epic story. But don’t delay…Constitution Day is September 17th!
https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/stories-constitutionalconvention.htm
