THE CONSTITUTION, Though Hamilton had been among the most ardent supporters of Amer ican independence, lie was not an advocate of the system of government that had been the im mediate result of the war. He wished his coun trymen to secure the advantages of a strong cen tral government, and the model that he had in mind was the English system, without the monarchical principle. In 17S5 an opportunity occurred of or at least of suggesting, a radical change. in that year commissioners were appointed by Virginia and Maryland to settle certain difficulties about the navigation of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. They met at Mount Vernon, Washington's home, where a plan was proposed for settling commercial duties, and this led to the proposal, made by the Assembly of Virginia. for a general conference of commissioners from all the States to consider the state of trade. Hamilton, seeing that this conference might be made the instrument of more fundamental changes. persuaded New York to send eommissioners, himself among them; and in 17S6 commissioners from five States met at Annapolis, Md. (See ANNAPOLIS CONVENTION.) Hamilton laid before them a report, giving rea sons for calling a convention of delegates from all the States to consider the reorganization of the National Government. Such a proposal was adopted by the conference and submitted to Con gress, by which it was indorsed, with the recom mendation that each State should send delegates to a National Constitutional Convention. The suggestion was generally adopted. and the con vention met at Philadelphia in May. 1787. Wash ington was chosen president of the body. which proceeded to create an entirely new scheme of government rather than to revise the existing plan as had been originally intended.
The two paramount questions at issue were the powers of the Federal Government and of the individual States and the system by which the States were to be represented in the Federal Leg islature. Two tentative plans were ham before the convention, one by Edmund Randolph of Virginia, the other by William Paterson of New Jersey. The 'Virginia Plan,' as the former was com monl• called, provided that in each branch of the National Legislature representation should be according to population, while the 'New Jersey Plan' provided for equal representation of the States in each branch. The practical question at issue was settled by the so-called 'Connecticut Compromise,' according to which in one branch of the National Legislature representation of the States should be according to population, while in the other branch it should be equal. Other
compromises were also necessary in the conven tion, as a result of which Congress was to be given control over commerce, three-fifths of the slaves were to be counted in estimating the popu lation of a State with reference to its representa tion in the Lower House. and the various States were given power to admit imported slaves for twenty years. The frame of government drawn up, with subsequent amendments, has continued to be the Constitution of the United States to the present day. See CONSTITUTION.
The difficulties incident to the ratification of the proposed Constitution were enormous. The old Congress was still in existence as the National Government, but it was in even lower repute, and of less influence. than it had been earlier in the decade, and it confessedly had neither the authority nor the power to take effective steps for the establishment of the new form of government. The convention accordingly determined to report its proceedings to the old Congress, which body was to submit the Consti tution to each State for acceptanee or rejection, the people of each State expressing themselves through a convention called for the purpose. All questions at issue were now revived in the vigor ous and protracted discussions and contests which took place in several of these conventions. Two bitterly opposing parties arose, the Feder alists (q.v.) and the Anti-Federalists, the former favoring the Constitution and the latter rejecting it. Some of the States ratified the Constitution promptly: but in others, especially Massachu setts, Virginia, and New York, the opposition was strongly developed and it was only after a pro tracted struggle that the opposition of such men as Patrick Henry in Virginia, and of Melanethon Smith and Yates in New York, was overcome. To this end the chief single contribution was made by the influence of The Federalist (q.v.), the series of essays produced by Hamilton, Mad ison. and :lay. in explanation and justification of the convention's work. Finally, on June 21, 178S, the ninth State, New Hampshire, rati fied the Constitution. and. according to the terms of the instrument itself, by that event it went into force. The two important States of Virginia and New York followed with their approval on June 25th and .Tuly 26th. respectively, leaving only North Carolina and Rhode Island in the anomalous position of not being members of the new nation which claimed jurisdiction over their territory.