In terms of the presidency, the delegates to the convention decided that

One of the legacies of the Continental and Confederation Congresses was the convening of the Federal Convention of 1787. Six years after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation, which established the first national government, a majority of Delegates to Congress agreed that the Articles needed significant revisions. On February 21, 1787, the Congress resolved that “a convention of delegates . . . appointed by the several states be held at Philadelphia for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.”1

The Articles’ failure to empower the central government to carry out essential functions was their primary weakness. The Articles protected the sovereignty of the states at the expense of the central government, which lacked the power to raise revenue or conduct diplomatic relations. The central government also could not manage the western territories in an effective manner. After the Continental Congress decided to act on the problem, 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island abstained) chose 70 delegates to represent them at the Federal Convention. Out of those appointees, only 55 attended. Forty of the 55 attendees had served in the Continental and/or Confederation Congresses at some point in their careers.2

When the delegates of the Federal Convention met in the Pennsylvania state house (now Independence Hall) in May 1787, Edmund Randolph of Virginia offered the most comprehensive plan, essentially bypassing revisions and suggesting an entirely new government. The “Virginia Plan” had been drafted by fellow delegate, James Madison. While some believed the Articles should be “corrected and enlarged as to accomplish the objects proposed by their institution,” the Virginia Plan called for completely replacing it with a strong central government based on popular consent and proportional representation.3 Its distinguishing features included a bicameral legislature, a separate executive, and judiciary branch with a national jurisdiction.

The Virginia Plan received support from states with large populations such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. A number of smaller states, however, proposed the “New Jersey Plan,” drafted by William Paterson, which retained the essential features of the original Articles: a unicameral legislature where all states had equal representation, the appointment of a plural executive, and a supreme court of limited jurisdiction. The convention debated these competing proposals from May to July 1787, before turning over plans to a Grand Committee to hash out an agreement. The committee’s report, dubbed the Great Compromise, ironed out many contentious points. It resolved the delegates’ sharpest disagreement by prescribing a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal state representation in the Senate. After two more months of intense debates and revisions, the delegates produced the document we now know as the Constitution, which expanded the power of the central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states.4 A total of 39 delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787.5

/tiles/non-collection/i/im_people_christyconstsign_aoc.xml Image courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol George Washington of Virginia presides over the Federal Convention of 1787 as delegates sign the U.S. Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. A number of the delegates, like Washington, either served in the Continental Congress or fought the British during the American Revolution.

Not all of the delegates agreed with the final product. Some expressed reservations but signed the Constitution, anticipating vigorous debates within their states. Three delegates, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, George Mason of Virginia, and Randolph, did not sign it at all. Critics who shared the views of these delegates preferred the decentralized nature of the Articles of Confederation as a check on the power of the central government. Dubbed "Anti-Federalists" by their opponents, Americans would debate the benefits of a new Constitution for the next ten months.6 By June 1788, the requisite 9 states had ratified the Constitution as the law of the land, and the Confederation Congress announced that the new government would begin in March 1789.

Listed below are the 34 Continental and Confederation Congress Delegates who signed the United States Constitution. The state listings reflect the states they represented during the Federal Convention:

As the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 continued to develop a plan of government that would remedy the defects of the Articles of Confederation, one of the most difficult challenges was creating the office of the presidency. All of the delegates agreed that some kind of executive office was necessary. Some delegates, however, recalled the recent tyranny of the English King and were hesitant to create an independent executive that might abuse its powers in like manner. Another group of delegates believed that an energetic and independent executive was necessary if the national government was to fulfill its responsibilities of promoting the security and stability of the Union. The debates between these two groups focused on several questions: What kinds of powers should the president have? What kinds of controls ought to be in place that would prevent the executive from abusing its powers, but still allow it to act with energy, speed and decision? How should the president be selected, and what length of term is appropriate? Should the president be eligible to run for re-election? Should the president be impeachable? The delegates debated these questions throughout the summer of 1787 and only reached a final agreement near the closing days of the Convention.

This lesson will focus on the arguments over the various characteristics and powers of the office of president as debated during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. By examining the views of delegates as recorded in James Madison's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, students will understand the arguments of those who supported either a strong, independent executive, or a very limited and highly controlled executive. Students will also see why, in the end, the delegates compromised on this question in order to fulfill their task of remedying the political flaws of the Articles of Confederation.

What did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decide?

How did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention want representation?

What plan did the delegates decide to use?