Discover how 55 delegates created the U.S. Constitution in just 88 days during the summer of 1787. Constitutional scholar Gordon Lloyd breaks down the Philadelphia Convention using his acclaimed "four-act drama" framework, revealing the behind-the-scenes negotiations, heated debates, and crucial compromises that shaped American government.
What You'll Learn:
✓ How Madison's Virginia Plan clashed with the New Jersey Plan
✓ The Connecticut Compromise that balanced state vs. popular representation
✓ Why slavery debates nearly derailed the entire convention
✓ How the Electoral College and presidency were actually created
✓ The dramatic final moments and Franklin's famous "rising sun" speech
Key Topics Covered:
- Virginia Plan vs New Jersey Plan conflict
- Connecticut Compromise and Great Compromise
- Three-Fifths Compromise and 1808 slave trade agreement
- Creation of the Electoral College system
- Presidential powers and impeachment provisions
- Committee of Detail and Committee of Style
- Bill of Rights controversy and non-signers
Featured Experts:
Gordon Lloyd (Pepperdine University, Ashbrook Center Senior Fellow)
Chris Burkett (Ashland University, Ashbrook Scholar Program Director)
Hosted by Jeff Sikkenga (Ashbrook Center Executive Director)
Related Resources:
The American Founding website: theamericanfounding.org
Ashbrook's 50 Core American Documents: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/product/50-core-american-documents-cdc/
Madison's Constitutional Convention notes (Ashbrook edition): https://teachingamericanhistory.org/product/debates-in-the-federal-convention-of-1787/
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