A Senate of the States: July 13th, 1787
Up to now the convention’s great divide was between the large and small states. Today focus drifted toward the rift between north and south, non-slave vs. slave-holding states. The 3/5… Read more »
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A Senate of the States: July 3rd – 10th, 1787
As John Locke related in his Two Treatises of Government, the legislative power is the essence of republicanism. Despite the lessons of the great Enlightenment philosophers and the Framers’ long… Read more »
A Senate of the States: July 2nd, 1787
Subtitle: Gouverneur Morris Warns of a Uniparty. The convention slogged on as the large/small state standoff continued over the question of representation in the senate. I will follow a different… Read more »
A Senate of the States: June 29th – June 30th, 1787
While we take for granted today that the Framers breezily agreed to a compound republic of the people and the states, the issue still was unresolved five weeks into the… Read more »
A Senate of the States: June 27th – June 28th 1787
In fits and starts, often one step forward and two steps back, the convention slowly shaped the pieces to its constitutional jigsaw puzzle. Incredibly, as a few delegates seemingly wished… Read more »
A Senate of the States: June 26th, 1787
Subtitle: Swamp-Creatures. Meeting in Convention, delegates once again considered the Fourth Resolution, which dealt with senatorial elections, term length, age qualification, salary, and eligibility to additional offices. The answers to… Read more »
A Senate of the States: June 19th – June 25th, 1787
Subtitle: The Second American Revolution. Recall Alexander Hamilton’s speech from yesterday, June 18th, in which he attempted to meld the English parliamentary system with republicanism. June 19. In contrast, in… Read more »
A Senate of the States: June 14th – June 18th, 1787
June 14. William Patterson (NJ), spooked by the developing Virginia Plan, asked for a one-day adjournment to work on an improved federal design. June 15. He submitted the New Jersey/Patterson… Read more »
A Senate of the States: June 12th – June 13th, 1787
As of June 12th, the evolving senate still had no powers beyond those of the Confederation. Additional powers arrived after delegates determined its institutional shape and characteristics. At issue was… Read more »
A Senate of the States: June 7th – June 11th, 1787
On June 7th, John Dickinson (DE) motioned “that the members of the second branch ought to be chosen by the individual Legislatures.” The separate question of proportional or federal (equal)… Read more »