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Federal convention

2012

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in History

What Happened On July 6, 1787 And Why It Matters, Peter Aschenbrenner Jun 2012

What Happened On July 6, 1787 And Why It Matters, Peter Aschenbrenner

Peter J. Aschenbrenner

The first Standing Order of the Philadelphia convention provided for per stirpes voting, that is, voting by state, but set the quorum requirement at seven and the action requirement at four, that is, an arithmetic majority/majority. Divided states (delegates equal in number on each side of a question) were counted towards the quorum requirement. The significance of a disputed vote on July 6 is explained.


Table Annexed To Article: What Happened On July 6, 1787 And Why It Matters, Peter J. Aschenbrenner May 2012

Table Annexed To Article: What Happened On July 6, 1787 And Why It Matters, Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Peter J. Aschenbrenner

The first Standing Order of the Philadelphia convention provided for per stirpes voting, that is, voting by state, but set the quorum requirement at seven and the action requirement at four, that is, an arithmetic majority/majority. Divided states (delegates equal in number on each side of a question) were counted towards the quorum requirement. The significance of a disputed vote on July 6 is explained.


Table Annexed To Article: Who Were The Superfounders? And Why Does It Matter?, Peter J. Aschenbrenner May 2012

Table Annexed To Article: Who Were The Superfounders? And Why Does It Matter?, Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Thirty-two of the fifty-five delegates who attended the federal convention went on to attend a ratifying convention; twenty-five are Yes-Founders and one, Gov. Edmund Randolph, won his ‘SuperFounder’ status at the Virginia Ratifying Convention. Never before surveyed as a group, the table annexed names the SuperFounders and details their opposite numbers, the NoFounders.


Table Annexed To Article: Ages Of The Delegates At The Federal Convention, Peter J. Aschenbrenner Apr 2012

Table Annexed To Article: Ages Of The Delegates At The Federal Convention, Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Of the fifty-five delegates who attended the federal convention at Philadelphia in 1787, the median in age was Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut, thirty-two years old. The delegate with the median remaining life span was Jacob Broom of Delaware (thirty-three years). The early arrivers were neither older nor younger than the others. Nor were they marked down for a shorter or longer remaining lifespan.


Table Annexed To Article: The Few, The Happy Few, Peter J. Aschenbrenner Mar 2012

Table Annexed To Article: The Few, The Happy Few, Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Peter J. Aschenbrenner

The fifty-five credentialed delegates who attended (at least one or more) sessions of the Philadelphia convention supplied thirty-nine delegate signatories. But this figure is not the fewest number of delegates who could have organized the United States of America; that is, a new government which would substitute for (or secede from) the United States in Congress Assembled, the style of the (then existing) government under the Articles of Confederation.


The Few, The Happy Few: How Many Delegates Would Be Required To Organize The United States Of America?, Peter J. Aschenbrenner Mar 2012

The Few, The Happy Few: How Many Delegates Would Be Required To Organize The United States Of America?, Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Peter J. Aschenbrenner

The fifty-five credentialed delegates who attended (at least one or more) sessions of the Philadelphia convention supplied thirty-nine delegate signatories. But this figure is not the fewest number of delegates who could have organized the United States of America; that is, a new government which would substitute for (or secede from) the United States in Congress Assembled, the style of the (then existing) government under the Articles of Confederation.


Chart Annexed To Article: Delegate Arrivals In Philadelphia Compared To Voting Records, Peter Aschenbrenner, David Kimball Mar 2012

Chart Annexed To Article: Delegate Arrivals In Philadelphia Compared To Voting Records, Peter Aschenbrenner, David Kimball

Peter J. Aschenbrenner

Fifty-five delegates were appointed by twelve states to attend the federal convention in May, 1787. Eleven states ratified the Constitution between December 7, 1787 and July 26, 1788. When delegate arrival dates are compared with the order in which their respective state ratification conventions completed their business, a significant number of delegates supporting the constitution are missing in action.