Constitutional Convention

Constitutional Convention

In 1787, representatives from every state except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia to fix the Articles. We call this meeting the Constitutional Convention because they ended up doing more than just fixing the articles—they wrote the Constitution! But agreeing on a new way to structure the government wasn’t easy.

Some states floated a new idea: Why not create a government with three branches?

The new government could have a legislative branch with a congress to make laws, an executive branch led by a president to carry out laws, and a judicial branch with courts to interpret laws. It sounded good, but there was one major problem: How many votes would each state get in the Congress?

Some states floated a new idea: Why not create a government with three branches?

The new government could have a legislative branch with a congress to make laws, an executive branch led by a president to carry out laws, and a judicial branch with

courts to interpret laws. It sounded good, but there was one major problem: How many votes would each state get in the Congress?