Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia

Background. The Articles of Confederation required unanimous state approval for any amendment, a flaw the delegates recognized. In September 1786, delegates from five states met at the Annapolis Convention, and nationalists asked Congress to revise the Articles. On February 21, 1787, the Confederation Congress endorsed a Philadelphia convention for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.

Convening in Philadelphia. The convention took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Washington arrived in Philadelphia on May 9, and the convention began on May 25. Rhode Island was the only state that refused to send delegates. All delegates remained under the authority of their respective states, since the Confederation Congress had no authority to call a constitutional convention.

Presidency and Shifting Purpose. One of the convention's first undertakings was selecting a presiding officer; delegates unanimously elected George Washington of Virginia, former commanding general of the Continental Army, as president. Although the convention was initially intended to revise the Articles, proponents such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton sought a new frame of government rather than revision of the existing one.