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The Constitution of the United States of America was written by a Constitutional Convention held in the summer of 1787. Between May and September, a group of delegates from most states met in secret to negotiate a text that was then presented to the states of the Union.
They adopted a formal process for their discussions, considering precisely worded motions in a series of committees as well as in the main Convention itself. The most important of these committees was the Committee of the Whole House, which met during the first weeks of the convention. This committee was comprised of every member of every delegation and allowed the delegates to relax the rules of procedure. The report of that committee was then reconsidered in detail by the Convention, which consisted of all the same members as the Committee of the Whole but was subject to stricter rules of debate. This allowed the delegates a second chance to consider the same issues. Some controversial issues were sent to smaller sub-committees, and then the whole report of the Convention was sent to a Committee of Detail. The report of that committee was then reconsidered clause by clause in the main Convention, with some final work and redrafting being done by smaller committees. This formal – sometimes even pedantic – process is what has informed the reconstruction of events offered here.
The work of the Convention is preserved in the Official Journal, as well as in a number of privately kept diaries. For any specific moment in the timeline, the Quill platform enables the process of debate to be examined in detail, reconciles the various motions presented to the Convention with the votes that have been taken, and reconstructs as accurately as possible the texts as they would have been available to members of the Convention at the requested point.
The Quill Project’s work on the 1787 Constitution of the United States is presented in three editions, of which the 2021 edition is the third and most current.
The 2019 Edition
The 2019 model, created and edited by Kieran Hazzard and Lauren Davis, provides a second edition of the model created principally by Grace Mallon and published by the Quill Project in 2016. Like the 2016 first edition, the 2019 second edition is chiefly based on Max Farrand’s 1911 publication, The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, with some modern additions that take into account recent publications and scholarship.
The second edition is much more detailed, accurate, and comprehensive than the 2016 proof of concept and employs a modeling philosophy designed to present the events in an easy-to-understand format. This edition also takes advantage of new technological features and developments within the Quill platform and has integrated additional source material. These materials include Lansing’s notes and the large body of material collected by James Hutson in his Supplement to Max Farrand’s The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. The result is a more consistent and complete presentation of the surviving records.
Committee of Detail Improved
Frustratingly, records were not kept, officially or privately, of the work of the Committee of Detail and the other subcommittees. Where it has not been possible to reconstruct the exact work of a committee, the available texts (such as the committee's final report) have been presented instead. However, this edition has modelled the documentary reconstruction undertaken by William Ewald and Lorianne Updike Toler in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. CXXXV, No. 3. This has resulted in a much clearer picture of the process of framing a constitution which took place in the Committee of Detail.
New Resources
There are several new resource collections available to readers. Those looking for the alternative constitutional plans proposed to the Convention or the major milestones reached as the final document took shape will find these easily available. We have made the decision to include information about the informal meetings of delegates that took place outside of the official structure of the Convention. These meetings are attested to in diaries and private correspondence – though because of their nature, no presentation of such meetings can ever be complete. These fringe meetings give an insight into the side-line strategizing and negotiating, as well as the social events and friendships which existed among delegates.
The final major addition is an editorial commentary on the veracity of Madison’s Notes. Mary Sarah Bilder’s book, Madison’s Hand, details the nature and evidence of the edits Madison made to his convention notes several years after the fact. As his notes are the main source of information for what was said and done in the Convention (and often, in fact, the most detailed account of the proceedings), Bilder’s work has significant implications for our understanding of these proceedings, particularly in the convention’s last two months, after Yates and Lansing (two delegates who kept private diaries of the proceedings) had left.
Within the Quill model, all of Madison’s additions to his own notes that Farrand was able to identify have been placed within angled brackets. The commentary collections attached to these moments in the timeline will help readers to find where Madison made larger changes and provide Bilder’s account of the nature of these changes.
Methodology
The editorial decisions made throughout the timeline are explained more fully in the description field of the relevant events and in editors’ notes that explore more difficult and technical points.
In modelling this edition of the work of the Convention, the starting point remained the official journal, kept by William Jackson, the Convention's secretary. The editors compared the journal record to other surviving records of each day, such as privately kept diaries and archive documents, in order to reconstruct the debates and procedure.
Only in extremely rare instances was there difficulty in reconstructing the wording being considered by the Convention or the Committee of the Whole at a given time. No significant discrepancies exist between surviving accounts. On the other hand, reconstructing the exact sequence of events within each session proved more difficult. Jackson in particular took liberties with that aspect of the record. Where any ambiguities exist, they are explained in the editors' notes. For the most part, however, the sequence of proposals and decisions can be confidently reconstructed from the surviving sources. Where ambiguities remain, it is as much the result of a slightly confusing process during the final stages of revision as a result of deficiencies in record-keeping.
Notes on the 2021 Edition
The 2021 edition of the model of U.S. Constitutional Convention builds on work undertaken for the 2019 edition (which remains available). The major change in this edition is our approach to the presentation of the primary sources which have been used to construct the model.
In the 2016 and 2019 Quill Project publications, the editors cited only the quotations from the source material used to justify a specific event. The hierarchy of source material was the Journal, Madison’s Notes, and other extant material, respectively. Duplicate information, however, was omitted. For example, if the Journal record alone was sufficient to reconstruct the fact that a particular proposal had been made, no other sources were presented.
A new approach has been taken for this edition. For the first time, this presentation allows readers to see the relevant quotations from all extant records that pertain to particular moments in the Convention. These quotations have been added as additional descriptions to each event in the committee timelines, even where information is described in nearly identical ways by multiple sources. We hope that this will allow readers to more easily compare the way in which particular events are described by different writers and give readers an overview of which events are attested to in which sources.
Adding these additional descriptions presented their own difficulties. The less well-known records of the Convention are sporadic in their coverage or written with less precision than Madison's Notes, making it sometimes difficult to attribute the record to particular moments in the timeline. Where appropriate, the editors have included notes explaining their choices. Perhaps of greatest interest, given recent debates over the nature of the sources, is the ability to directly compare what is written in the Journal with that which was recorded and published by Madison.
Most significant among other changes is that the presentation of the work of the Committee of the Whole has been adjusted to more consistently represent the process of debate, which brings greater clarity to these discussions. In addition, a revision of the presentation of voting records has been undertaken, including a more systematic attempt to track which delegations were quorate at particular times.
The work for the 2021 edition was undertaken by Lauren Davis, Elizabeth Green, and Grace Penn, at Pembroke College Oxford, over the course of 2020-21.
Date | Time | Committee | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1787-05-14 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Date appointed for start of Convention. Only a few delegates present. |
1787-05-15 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Several delegates arrived. |
1787-05-16 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | One delegate arrived. Meeting time altered. |
1787-05-17 | 13:00:00 | The Convention | Several delegates arrived. |
1787-05-18 | 13:00:00 | The Convention | Several delegates arrived. |
1787-05-19 | 13:00:00 | The Convention | Another delegate arrived. |
1787-05-21 | 13:00:00 | The Convention | Several delegates arrived. |
1787-05-22 | 13:00:00 | The Convention | Several delegates arrived. |
1787-05-23 | 13:00:00 | The Convention | One delegate arrived. |
1787-05-24 | 13:00:00 | The Convention | Delegates met, no arrivals. Still not quorate. |
1787-05-25 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Convened and elected officers. Chose a committee to prepare rules. |
1787-05-26 | 10:00:00 | Rules Committee | Rules and Standing Orders of the Convention drawn up. |
1787-05-28 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Report of the Rules Committee accepted. Additional rules proposed. |
1787-05-28 | 10:00:00 | Rules Committee | Additional Rules and Standing Orders of the Convention drawn up. |
1787-05-29 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Additional rules agreed. Virginia Plan and Pinckney Plan proposed. |
1787-05-30 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-05-30 | 10:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Committee convened, first two resolutions of Virginia Plan considered. The form of a national government and how to determine representation debated. |
1787-05-31 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-05-31 | 10:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 3 to 6. Branches of the Legislature debated. |
1787-06-01 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Several delegates arrived. The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. Washington cautioned delegates on secrecy. |
1787-06-01 | 10:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolution 7. The powers of the Executive debated. |
1787-06-02 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Several delegates arrived. The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-02 | 10:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolution 7. The powers, restrictions, and selection of the Executive debated. |
1787-06-04 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-04 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 7 and 9. The powers of and restrictions on the Executive debated. Role of the Judiciary taken under consideration. |
1787-06-05 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-05 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 9 to 15. Powers and selection of the Judiciary debated. Considered resolutions on new states and method of initiating new constitution. |
1787-06-06 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-06 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolution 4. Republicanism debated, proposal that state legislatures elect first branch of Legislature rejected. |
1787-06-07 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-07 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolution 5. The second branch of the Legislature considered, and election to second branch by state legislatures agreed. |
1787-06-08 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-08 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 4 and 6. Congressional negative to state laws and election of first branch of the Legislature debated. |
1787-06-09 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-09 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 4 and 7. Voting procedures within the Legislature debated, and proposition that state executives elect the National Executive rejected. |
1787-06-11 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-11 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 2, 11, 13, and 14. Returned to debate on modes of representation in both branches. Three-Fifths Clause introduced. |
1787-06-12 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-12 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 4, 5, 9, and 15. Debated regulations for the Legislature, jurisdiction of National Judiciary, and ratification of Constitution. |
1787-06-13 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Initial plan of Committee of the Whole House reported. |
1787-06-13 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | Resolutions 6 and 9. Jurisdiction and appointment of the National Judiciary agreed, and Money Bills debated. Virginia Plan referred back to Convention. |
1787-06-14 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Consideration of the plan reported by Committee of the Whole House postponed. |
1787-06-15 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | New Jersey Plan proposed. The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-16 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-16 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | New Jersey Plan debated. |
1787-06-18 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | The Convention resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House. |
1787-06-18 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | New Jersey Plan debated. Hamilton Plan introduced. |
1787-06-19 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Committee of the Whole House reported. |
1787-06-19 | 11:00:00 | Committee of the Whole House | New Jersey Plan Rejected. Final Report returned to Convention. |
1787-06-20 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 1 and 2. Debated the issue of a two-house legislature. |
1787-06-21 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 2 and 3. Debated composition of first branch of the legislature. |
1787-06-22 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 3. Debated composition of first branch of the legislature. |
1787-06-23 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 3. Debated composition of first branch of the legislature. |
1787-06-25 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 4. Debated composition of second branch of the legislature. |
1787-06-26 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 4 and 5. Debated composition of second branch of the legislature. |
1787-06-27 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 7 and 8. Debated representation in each branch of the legislature. |
1787-06-28 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 7 and 8. Debated representation in each branch of the legislature. Franklin called for prayers. |
1787-06-29 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 7 and 8. Agreed proportional representation in the first branch. Connecticut Compromise proposed. |
1787-06-30 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 8. Connecticut Compromise debated. |
1787-07-02 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 7 and 8 sent to a committee. Connecticut Compromise rejected. Convention adjourned for Independence Day. |
1787-07-03 | 11:00:00 | First Committee on Representation | Report of the First Committee on Representation created. |
1787-07-05 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | First Committee on Representation reported. Connecticut Compromise reintroduced. |
1787-07-06 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of First Committee on Representation debated. First proposition sent to a committee. |
1787-07-07 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of First Committee on Representation debated. Equal vote for each state in second branch agreed. |
1787-07-07 | 11:00:00 | Second Committee on Representation | Report of the Second Committee on Representation created. |
1787-07-09 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Second Committee on Representation reported. Its First Proposition sent to a committee. |
1787-07-09 | 11:00:00 | Third Committee on Representation | Report of the Third Committee on Representation created. |
1787-07-10 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of Third Committee on Representation agreed. |
1787-07-11 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | New York delegation left the Convention. Report of Second Committee on Representation debated. Three Fifths Clause re-proposed. |
1787-07-12 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of Second Committee on Representation debated. Three Fifths Clause agreed. |
1787-07-13 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of Second Committee on Representation debated. Balance of taxation to representation considered. |
1787-07-14 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of Second Committee on Representation agreed. Representation again debated. |
1787-07-16 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of First Committee on Representation agreed. Connecticut Compromise accepted. |
1787-07-17 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 6 and 9. Debated the powers and election of the executive. |
1787-07-18 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 9, 11-16. Debated the role and powers of the judiciary. |
1787-07-19 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 9. Debated the powers and election of the executive. |
1787-07-20 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 9. Debated the powers and election of the executive. |
1787-07-21 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolutions 10 and 11. Debated the powers and election of the executive. Appointment of judiciary considered. |
1787-07-23 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | New Hampshire delegation arrived. Resolutions 17, 18, and 19. Debated ratification. Created Committee of Detail. |
1787-07-24 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Committee of Detail elected. Resolution 9 resumed. Election of executive debated. |
1787-07-25 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 9. Election of executive debated. |
1787-07-25 | 11:00:00 | Committee of Detail | Committee convened and received proceedings from Convention. Randolph proposed his constitutional framework. |
1787-07-26 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Resolution 9 agreed. Convention adjourned to allow Committee of Detail to frame a Constitution. |
1787-07-27 | 11:00:00 | Committee of Detail | Wilson's initial constitutional framework drawn up. |
1787-07-29 | 11:00:00 | Committee of Detail | Randolph's framework for a constitution amended by the Committee. |
1787-07-30 | 11:00:00 | Committee of Detail | A rough draft of the Constitution drawn up. The New Jersey and Pinckney Plans considered. |
1787-08-01 | 11:00:00 | Committee of Detail | The rough draft of the Constitution expanded on. |
1787-08-03 | 11:00:00 | Committee of Detail | A final draft Constitution drawn up and a report sent to the Convention. |
1787-08-06 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Convention resumed. Committee of Detail reported. |
1787-08-07 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Report of Committee of Detail considered. First three articles agreed. Qualifications of electors debated. |
1787-08-08 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Article IV: Sections 1 to 5. Composition of House of Representatives debated. Right to originate Money Bills struck out. |
1787-08-09 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Articles IV to VI. Debated composition of the Senate and time and place of elections. |
1787-08-10 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Articles IV and VI. Property qualifications debated again. Several regulations for Congress agreed. |
1787-08-11 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Article VI: Sections 7 and 8. Several regulations for Congress agreed. Reconsideration of Money Bills agreed. |
1787-08-13 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Several sections reconsidered. Qualifications for both Houses debated. Amendment that Money Bills originate in House defeated. |
1787-08-14 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Article VI: Sections 9 and 10. Several regulations for Congress agreed. |
1787-08-15 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Article VI, Section 11 to 13. Final regulations for Congress agreed. Presidential veto debated. |
1787-08-16 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Article VII: Section 1. Enumeration of Congressional powers debated. |
1787-08-17 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Article VII: Section 1. Debate on enumeration of Congressional powers continued. |
1787-08-18 | 11:00:00 | The Convention | Article VII: Section 1. Additional Congressional powers referred to Committee of Detail. Appointed Committee on State Debts and Militia. Session times extended. |
1787-08-20 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Article VII: Sections 1 to 3. Further Congressional powers referred to Committee of Detail. Treason, tax, House apportionment, and a census considered. |
1787-08-20 | 16:00:00 | Committee on State Debts and Militia | Report of the Committee on State Debts and Militia created. |
1787-08-21 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Committee of State Debts and Militia reported. Article VII: Sections 3 and 4. Slavery and taxation debated. |
1787-08-21 | 10:00:00 | Committee of Detail | Proposals for further Congressional powers received and a second report drawn up for the Convention. |
1787-08-22 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Committee on Slave Trade and Navigation appointed. Second Report of the Committee of Detail received. Report of the Committee on State Debts and Militia debated. |
1787-08-23 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Report of the Committee on State Debts and Militia agreed. Article VII: Sections I and VII and Article VIII agreed. Article IX (Senate’s power over treaties and appointments) considered. |
1787-08-23 | 16:00:00 | Committee on Slave Trade and Navigation | Report of the Committee on Slave Trade and Navigation created. |
1787-08-24 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Committee on Slave Trade and Navigation reported. Articles IX and X. Controversies among states and executive powers debated. Session times reduced. |
1787-08-25 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Report of Committee on Slave Trade and Navigation considered. Committee on Commercial Discrimination appointed. Continued debate on executive powers in Article X. |
1787-08-27 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Article X and XI. Debated executive and judicial powers. |
1787-08-27 | 15:00:00 | Committee on Commercial Discrimination | Report of the Committee on Commercial Discrimination created. |
1787-08-28 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Committee on Commercial Discrimination reported. Article XI on jurisdiction, powers, and limitations of Supreme Court. Articles XII to XIV, regulating State powers. Article XV on extradition. First fugitive slave clause introduced. |
1787-08-29 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Appointed Committee on Interstate Comity and Bankruptcy. Report of Committee on Slave Trade and Navigation debated. Fugitive slave clause agreed. Article XVII on admission of new states agreed. |
1787-08-30 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Articles XVII to XXI. Debated admission of new states, oaths, and process of amendment and ratification. |
1787-08-31 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Articles XXI TO XXIII. Mode of ratification and adoption of Constitution debated. Report of the Committee on Commercial Discrimination agreed. Committee on Postponed Matters appointed. |
1787-08-31 | 15:00:00 | Committee on Interstate Comity and Bankruptcy | Report of the Committee on Interstate Comity and Bankruptcy created. |
1787-08-31 | 15:00:00 | Committee on Postponed Matters | First Report of the Committee on Postponed Matters created. |
1787-09-01 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | First Report of Committee on Postponed Matters and Report of the Committee on Interstate Comity and Bankruptcy delivered. |
1787-09-03 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Report of the Committee on Interstate Comity and Bankruptcy and First Report of Committee on Postponed Matters amended and accepted. |
1787-09-03 | 15:00:00 | Committee on Postponed Matters | Second Report of the Committee on Postponed Matters created. |
1787-09-04 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Second Report of Committee on Postponed Matters delivered and debated. |
1787-09-04 | 15:00:00 | Committee on Postponed Matters | Third Report of the Committee on Postponed Matters and Resolution and Order on Costs of Convention created. |
1787-09-05 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Third Report of Committee on Postponed Matters delivered and agreed. Second Report resumed. Money Bills and Presidential elections debated. |
1787-09-06 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Second Report of Committee on Postponed Matters. Presidential elections again debated. |
1787-09-07 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Second Report of Committee on Postponed Matters. Presidential powers and elections debated. |
1787-09-08 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Second and Third Reports of Committee on Postponed Matters agreed. Presidential powers, impeachment, and Money Bills debated. Committee of Style and Arrangement appointed. |
1787-09-08 | 18:00:00 | Committee of Style and Arrangement | Committee convened and elected chairman. |
1787-09-10 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Ratification and amendments reconsidered. Proceedings referred to Committee of Style and Arrangement to draw up final Constitution. |
1787-09-10 | 15:00:00 | Committee of Style and Arrangement | Committee received instructions from Convention. |
1787-09-11 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Convention met and adjourned to await the Report of the Committee of Style and Arrangement. |
1787-09-11 | 10:00:00 | Committee of Style and Arrangement | Report of the Committee of Style and Arrangement and Letter to Congress referred to Convention. |
1787-09-12 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Committee of Style and Arrangement reported. Presidential veto and customs duties debated. |
1787-09-12 | 15:00:00 | Committee of Style and Arrangement | Report on Articles XXII and XXIII created. |
1787-09-13 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Report of Committee of Style and Arrangement considered. Final process of drafting and amendment began. Committee on Sumptuary Legislation appointed. |
1787-09-13 | 15:00:00 | Committee on Sumptuary Legislation | Possible session of Committee on Sumptuary Legislation. |
1787-09-14 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Article I: Sections 3 to 10. Powers and restrictions of Congress debated. Limitations to State power debated. |
1787-09-15 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Articles I to VII. Questions of representation, State powers, the presidency, trial by jury, and amendments debated. Constitution agreed. |
1787-09-17 | 10:00:00 | The Convention | Engrossed Constitution presented and last amendments made. Signed and sent to Congress. Convention adjourned. |
To see the full record of a committee, click on the corresponding committee on the map below
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24 historical records used for this dataset.
14 committees met in 138 sessions.
Average 5.75 sessions each.
Dates from Monday, 14 May 1787 to Monday, 17 September 1787.
59 people in 12 voting delegations.
Top 5 most active people are:
Summary of person events:
391 procedural motions considered.
Summary of procedural events:
89 documents considered with 1020 amendments presented.
Summary of document events:
1468 number of decisions made.
Summary of decision made:
Details of unofficial meetings, discussions and social events held by delegates to the Convention.
A collection of printed primary source material pertaining to drafts of the Constitution between August and September, 1787. This collection includes printed drafts with handwritten annotations produced by the convention; for handwritten drafts...
A collection of primary source material detailing the state of the convention between 14 and 25 May, 1787. People include George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Richard Price, Thomas Jordan, Arthur Lee, John...
A collection of handwritten primary source material pertaining to the deliberations of the Committee of Detail. People include John Jay, George Washington, Richard Caswell, R.D. Spaight, Alexander Martin, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, James...
This collection holds links to images of the Library of Congress copy of Madison's Notes. These colour images were newly available in 2018.
In 1819 John Quincy Adams oversaw a printed publication of the Journal of the Convention. This collection holds links to the Archive.org copy.
In 1819 John Quincy Adams oversaw a printed publication of the Journal of the Convention. This is a manuscript copy of the journal from that time, a draft of what was published.
Analysis of Historical Society of Pennsylvania Item 1663: "United States Constitution first manuscript draft by James Wilson, 1787."
Roger Sherman's proposal in the First Committee on Representation, which demonstrates how Madison's proposed amendments could be amended and included as a supplement to the Constitution.
Transcriptions of the differing versions of the Virginia Plan, Pinckney Plan, New Jersey Plan, Hamilton Plan, and others, for comparison.
A collection of tables of population for each state presented to the Convention to inform apportionment of representation.
Constitutional History in the news and in scholarship, and news about the Quill platform and the Negotiated Texts Network.
Charts the main stages in drafting the Constitution, and contains the major documents produced by the Convention, allowing for quick comparison.
Contemporary reports of the weather during each day of the Convention in Philadelphia 1787
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