Pennsylvania became the focus of national attention by holding the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Philadelphia was not only the largest American city, but also it was in many ways the cultural, financial, intellectual, and social center of the nation. Pennsylvanians believed that they had shouldered too great a share of the federal debt, and consequently there was hope that a new national government might relieve the burden. The most important contributions to the Convention from Pennsylvania came from James Wilson and Gouverneur Morris, both of whom made more speeches than the other delegates.
Gouverneur Morris was there at the very start, but then was called away to New York for a month. Despite his absence, he made 173 speeches – more than any other delegate. At the Convention, Morris was among the large-state nationalists who favored the Virginia Plan, and he believed that taxes should be paid in proportion to a state’s population. He did not want the president to be chosen by Congress, but rather by citizens. He was also one of the most frequent and forceful voices against slavery. Morris’s greatest contribution to the Convention was his principal role, as a member of the Committee on Style, in rephrasing the Constitution into what we know today. The most often quoted words from the preamble to the Constitution are attributed to Gouverneur Morris.
James Madison may be credited as the father of the Constitution, but James Wilson is often recognized as the number two man. Not only was he one of the top speakers at the Convention with 168 recorded remarks, but also he put forth an idea that is still the basis of American government. It was Wilson who proposed that a system of checks and balances be required to ensure that the power vested in leaders could not be abused. Wilson defended the idea of having one person as the chief executive when other delegates insisted that such a practice would lead to the creation of a virtual monarchy. He insisted that the president should be elected by the American people and not by the legislature, as some had suggested.
The organizers of the Convention knew that Benjamin Franklin’s presence would lend the debates an air of respectability. At 81 years old, he often propped up his gout swollen feet and napped through the deliberations. When he was too tired to speak, he passed notes to his friend, James Wilson, who read them aloud in his distinctive Scottish accent. It’s not clear that Franklin contributed any great ideas toward the creation of the Constitution. What we do know is that he told humorous stories and parables, which lightened the mood. Franklin supported a unicameral, or single-house, legislature, and either a weak president or a council of men to act together as chief executive. He disliked the idea of entrusting a single person with so much power and he was against paying politicians for their services.
Thomas FitzSimons didn’t speak much, but there was little doubt about his position. He was a strong nationalist who fell in line with the other businessmen supporting large-state interests. FitzSimons also wanted government to regulate trade and commerce.
George Clymer, Jared Ingersoll, Thomas Mifflin, and Robert Morris attended the Convention and rarely missed any of the meetings. Although they hardly said a word, they all effectively played modest roles in shaping the final document.