On the second-to-last Monday of September in 1787, in a hot room in Philadelphia at the tail end of a long summer, the United States Constitution was signed and sent to the States for ratification. The men in that room had spent the summer laboring away at the most important work that many of them would complete during their lives, and so began the greatest experiment in representative democracy the world has ever seen.
But getting to the final language of the new Constitution hadn’t been an easy task. Four months earlier, twelve of the United States had sent delegates to Philadelphia to discuss amending the Articles of Confederation, our nation’s original governing document that had been in effect since 1777—however, it quickly became apparent that the Articles had become entirely unworkable and would need to be scrapped.
The Articles had provided for a system of thirteen more-or-less sovereign states in a loose confederation, but it became clear that a stronger central government would be needed if our new nation was to fend for itself against a world dominated by European powers like Britain, France, and Spain.
As the delegates undertook the discussion of what would replace the Articles, fierce debate ensued. Should our federal government continue to treat each state as a co-equal member of a confederacy, giving them even representation in the legislature? Or should we prioritize the people and equal representation and apportion delegates to the legislature on the basis of population? And even though we’d just cast off the chains of one tyrant, it had become clear that the federal government needed a strong executive leader—but how to balance the needs of administering the new nation with the desire to avoid creating an American monarchy?
Some even doubted that agreement could be reached, but as the summer dragged on, cooler heads prevailed and eventually the delegates found compromises that they could all live with. I have to admit, whenever I read about the Constitutional Convention, it can seem surreal that they did come to an agreement: it’s important to remember that our new nation, our Constitution, or system of government wasn’t a guarantee.
But those delegates were able to find those points of compromise because they had common ground: they believed in the United States. They believed in America. They had fought hard for independence from Great Britain, and they were invested in seeing the new nation would succeed. They believed in their ability to provide a better future for their children and grandchildren—they believed that if they drafted a document that helped America succeed, they could create a country built on opportunity.
The final draft of the Constitution didn’t please everyone. A handful of the delegates actually walked out of the signing ceremony, but as Benjamin Franklin put it when he spoke in favor of the document, “I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but [...] I doubt too whether any other convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better constitution.”
Over two-hundred years later, the Constitution still stands. We’ve amended it twenty-seven times over the centuries, ensuring that the document has evolved alongside the needs of the nation, and proving correct Benjamin Franklin’s other famous remark from the day.
John, another famous anecdote recalls that as proceedings were wrapping up, Benjamin Franklin looked toward the back of the room, where a motif of a sun had been carved into the back of George Washington’s chair. He had remarked often during the convention that he wasn’t sure if the image was meant to be a rising or setting sun, but as the delegates signed their names to the bottom of the new constitution, James Madison records that he remarked, “But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun.”
I run for office because I believe that the Sun is still rising over our nation, but just as it did in 1787, it’ll take commitment and dedication from all of us to keep it that way. We have to come together and work in good faith—and unfortunately, a lot of our leaders have forgotten that. I’m running for Treasurer because we desperately need a Treasurer in our state who will put our communities and our people first, for the betterment of all North Carolina’s people.
