Timeline: Constitutional Convention
1620 The Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact on November 11 aboard the Mayflower, which is anchored in Provincetown harbor in what is now Massachusetts. Outlining a form of government based on an agreement to obey the laws created by the new colony, the Mayflower Compact is considered by many to be the first written constitution in the New World.
1777 On November 15, the Continental Congress endorses the Articles of Confederation, a document forming a loose confederation of states with a weak central government.
1781 On March 1, after Maryland becomes the last state to approve the Articles of Confederation, the document enters into force.
1783 After nearly eight years of fighting between British and American forces, the Revolutionary War formally ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3.
1786 Former Revolutionary War captain Daniel Shays leads an armed band of disgruntled farmers—who were upset over taxes—against militia forces protecting the state supreme court house in Springfield, Massachusetts, causing the court to adjourn. That confrontation would spark more than a year of insurgencies known as Shays' Rebellion, which came to symbolize the inability of the weak federal government under the Articles of Confederation to put down domestic insurrections.
1787 On February 21, Congress endorses the resolution of the Annapolis Conference, held the previous September, which had called for a constitutional convention to be held in Philadelphia in May 1787. All of the states (except Rhode Island) begin the selection of delegates.
The Philadelphia Convention is officially called to order on May 25 when enough delegates for a quorum arrive. Revolutionary War General George Washington is unanimously chosen as the president of the convention.
On May 29, the Virginia Plan is proposed by delegate Edmund Randolph (although James Madison was the document's chief architect). Over the following two weeks, delegates discuss and debate the merits of the plan, which proposes, among other provisions, a strong central government consisting of a bicameral legislature based on proportional representation for each state.
On June 15, the New Jersey Plan is introduced by delegate William Patterson. Endorsed by the smaller states, the plan is largely a rebuttal of the Virginia Plan, specifically with regard to its proportional representation provision. As an alternative, the New Jersey Plan proposes a legislative body consisting of equal representation regardless of population.
On July 16, delegates approve the Connecticut Compromise (first submitted by Roger Sherman on June 11), which calls for proportional representation in the lower house of Congress and equal representation in the upper house.
On September 17, the final draft of the U.S. Constitution is signed by 39 delegates to the Philadelphia Convention. The document must now be ratified by nine states before it becomes legally binding.
Advocates of the proposed constitution, known as the Federalists, begin to publish a series of articles on October 17 that make the case in support of ratification. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, the essays become collectively known as The Federalist.
1788 The U.S. Constitution is officially adopted following the approval of New Hampshire on June 21.
1791 On December 15, the Bill of Rights—the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution—is ratified.
Citation Information
MLA Chicago Manual of Style “Constitutional Convention - Timeline.” Issues & Controversies in American History. Infobase Publishing, 14 Mar. 2006. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.