The young country had its first major crisis: Several farmers had their lands confiscated for inability to pay taxes, and other farmers were jailed for not being able to pay their debts.
Protests in 1786 and 1787 rocked the country, and many farmers throughout the land took up armed resistance. The resistance was greatest in Massachusetts, which had been suffering from poor harvests, a slow economy, and high taxes.
Revolutionary War captain Daniel Shays led several hundred rebels wanting to regain their civil and economic rights. In 1787, the rebels marched on the United States' Armory to try to steal its weapons and then overthrow the government. The uprising was squashed by the federal government.
But Shays’ Rebellion scared politicians and citizens. The Articles of Confederation needed to be repealed or replaced because it did not address issues that arose from rebellion. Clearly, though, a new working Constitution was needed.
Watch the video and take notes on the events and pitfalls of drafting a new Constitution.
Just as Shay’s rebellion was trying to force the government to take action to help the poor farmers of America, there was another group being established to consider an alternate vision for the future of America. This group was mainly concerned with economic policy and how the states competing with each other was counter-productive. In response, the Virginia legislature called for a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786 to discuss economic matters. Twelve delegates from five states were present, but they decided to meet again in a year in Philadelphia. Shays’ Rebellion convinced them for the need to respond to different problems in the critical period of the 1780s. In January 1787, the Congress directed a meeting to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was ultimately too weak to rule the country.
The Philadelphia Convention saw fifty-five delegates from twelve states arrive. Rhode Island was the only one who refused to send a delegate to a convention to strengthen the power of the government. Most who were chosen to attend had experience on a national level. This included Revolutionary leaders, such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Robert Morris. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were not presents as they were in France and England securing relations. Also not present were people from the western parts of the country, as well as artisans or tenant farmers. All of those in attendance were wealthy national leaders who did not reflect the full spectrum of American society. Also, because they had served as national representatives before, they all were committed to a strong central government. They felt the Articles of Confederation gave too much power to the states. The convention wanted to create a national government that could deal with major problems from diplomacy to trade to economics to internal issues.
Even though most of the delegates had a common interest at the Philadelphia Convention they still could not decide how to revise the Articles of Confederation and build a stronger government. They began by solving procedural issues on how to move forward and how the convention would operate. George Washington was elected as the presiding officer. They decided on the voting procedure in which each state would get one vote. The most influential of the delegates, James Madison, proposed the Virginia Plan. This called for a strong central government with three elements. It first placed national law above state sovereignty. Second, it stated the people could vote directly for their national leaders and representatives. Third, he proposed the government have three branches: A legislature with two chambers and executive and judiciary branch. The lower house or chamber of legislature would be elected by the people who would then elect the upper house. Then both houses would choose and executive and judiciary.
Madison’s plan was very different and creative. Even though it established a strong central government which most supported, it was rejected at the convention. The opposition came from delegates who represented states with smaller populations. If the plan succeeded, the small states would lose their influence in government because if they were represented based on population they would always lose. They countered with another proposal called the New Jersey Plan. This plan was a version of how Congress already worked under the Articles. It called for a unicameral, or one house legislature, with one vote per state. After many debates and a very close vote, the Virginia Plan was finally accepted with the stipulation there would be further discussion. This was a major turning point. They decided to create a new Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.
