1. Delegates Meet in Philadelphia
Review

2. Convention – gathering of persons for a common purpose.
Terms
Convention – gathering of persons for a common purpose.
Delegate – person who is authorized to act as a representative for others.
Boycott – to avoid using, buying, or dealing with as a means of protest.
Envoy – diplomatic representative of a government.
Conciliator – person who settles disputes or restores friendships

3. Reviewing Social Studies Skills
Where did the Constitutional Convention take place?
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
What was the Constitutional Convention known as in 1787?
The Federal Convention
Who was president of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington

4. Reviewing the Main Ideas
Why did Rhode Island refuse to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention?
Rhode Island boycotted the convention because the state’s leaders were against any strengthening of the national government.

5. How did the delegates differ from typical Americans of their time?
The delegates were wealthier, better educated, and more experienced in government than typical Americans of their time.

6. What people or groups did not participate in the convention?
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine did not participate because they were out of the country. The state of Rhode Island and many supporters of states’ rights, such as Patrick Henry, did not participate. Blacks, women, American Indians, white men of modest means (who owned no property) did not participate.

7. Who were some of the most important delegates at the convention?
Among the most important delegates attending the Convention were George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Gouverneur Morris, and Alexander Hamilton.

8. Critical Thinking
How might the Constitution have turned out differently if some of the groups missing from the convention had been represented in Philadelphia?
The privileged position of the delegates as a group led them to put limits on the power of ordinary citizens.
The delegates made no provision in the Constitution for the full participation of women, blacks, or American Indians.
If more supporters of states’ rights had attended the convention, the central government would probably be weaker
If poor whites, women, black and American Indians had participated, they probably would have ensured that the Constitution granted them the same rights as those of the Framers.