The Articles of Confederation were a disaster and needed to be replaced. However, the public would not accept tampering with them unless the one man they knew and trusted - George Washington - was involved in the process. He had to be convinced to come out of retirement and to oversee the Constitutional Convention. His sense of duty that led him to lay aside what he wanted to do to serve his country, his serene leadership that promoted cooperation at the Constitutional Convention, and his noble character that led to a single president in the executive branch and promoted ratification were all crucial for the success of the Constitution. Yet Washington didn't take the credit for it; he said it all happened "by the good pleasure of Providence."
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com