Let Us Astonish Our Enemies

On September 17, 1787, the remaining delegates to the Philadelphia Convention gathered one last time. This time, it was to approve and sign the Constitution they had worked so hard to create. Not everyone thought the document was perfect. In fact, a few of them admitted it had its flaws. George Washington himself acknowledged that while it wasn’t perfect, he believed it was the best that could be done.

Then there was George Mason, also from Virginia. He had stayed through the entire convention, even though he had long since become convinced that their work would be in vain. He saw two major flaws in the document and felt that without holding another convention, this one was doomed to fail.

There was a mix of optimism and concern in the room that day. One state had refused to take part entirely, and another had seen its entire delegation walk out—except for one delegate who came back to represent one of the largest states in the country. Even so, that state’s governor and legislature weren’t on board with the whole thing anyway.

Virginia, which had led many of the early discussions, now found itself unsure if it could fully support the proposal. Meanwhile, in the north, Connecticut’s Roger Sherman—who was responsible for the Great Compromise—was satisfied. He believed the Constitution protected the rights and concerns of smaller states, so he was ready to back it.

Alexander Hamilton, on the other hand, saw the proposal as a chance to push for what he really wanted: a strong, centralized national government. Although the document didn’t quite give him that at the moment, he believed it laid the groundwork for a more powerful federal government that could unify the country and lead it to prosperity.

James Madison thought the Constitution was excellent and disagreed with those who saw a fatal flaw in it. In fact, he went on record saying that what some saw as a weakness was actually a strength—if people took the time to think it through.

The room was filled with as many opinions about the document as there were men in it. None of them had a crystal ball, and no one could predict what would happen once the proposal was sent to Congress.

In New York City, Arthur St. Clair, the President of the Congress—a veteran of both the French and Indian War and the Revolution—would have his shining moment when he received the Constitution and recommended that Congress send it to the states for ratification.

But it was left to the oldest delegate, the man who personified what it meant to be “an American,” to summarize the moment. Benjamin Franklin, too weak to speak, had another delegate read his words. He urged them to sign, and he encouraged them with a call to astonish their enemies…