Summer of 1787 = Summer of Compromises.

Continuing the story of how our Constitution was formed, and what the main players where trying to achieve, let's look at the interaction between James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson. Though the Nationalist Movement was larger than Hamilton and Madison during the disunionist scare in 1786-87, they played critical roles in directing and selling the cause of a stronger national government. It was they who actually brought off the Constitutional Convention.

The group of Nationalists who met in Philadelphia during that hot summer of 1787 were aware that this might be their last chance t achieve their goals and save the Union. They further came prepared to make compromises with interests from other states. During those four long hot months the delegates drafted a charter for the strongest central government that they believed they could possible sell and hopefully get ratified. Their goal was what their foes called "consolidation."

They wanted to move much of the authority previously vested in the individual states and consolidate it in the national government, whose will was to be the "supreme law of the land." It was to have the authority to tax and regulate commerce, and it would enforce its laws through coercive means if needed. The states were to be forbidden to restrain interstate commerce, coin money, impair contracts, or permit the payment of with anything but gold or silver legal tender. The national government would not have total authority over the states. A federal system along the lines that Hamilton had envisioned in The Continentalist in 1781 was to be erected. The states were to be left with with whatever authority that was not given explicitly to the national government.

To achieve all of this, concessions had to be made among the Nationalists. The South agreed to the principle demands of the northern commercial and financial interests. These northern interests in turn not only conceded to the South federal protection for slavery, but to allow the South to count the 3/5ths of the slave population in a compromise for allocating Congressional seats. As a result, the South, where 41% of the nation's white population lived, would have 47% of the seats in the House of Representatives and similar advantage in the electoral college in voting for the president. The northern delegates found this the most difficult compromise to deal with but saw it as the price that had to be paid to hope to get the Constitution ratified.

The campaign for ratification was brutal, there were probably a majority of those who opposed it for the presumed ills of centralization. The Anti-Federalists railed at the intended emasculation of the authority of the states, that were, "totally subversive of every principle which has hitherto governed us."

Most Americans were prepared for change and wanted to believe that a constitution that was supported by heroes like Washington and Franklin offered hope for a prosperous and secure future. Also, twice in recent memory the American people had fought long wars, the French and Indian War and the War of Independence. The people were ready for a government that could act with sufficient energy to protect American security and effectively wage war when needed. However, of equal importance they believed that this consolidation must be accompanied with adequate safeguards for the protection of individual liberties.

To avoid making this too long, I will continue tomorrow night with the duals between Hamilton and Jefferson to the direction of America under this new Constitution. If you would like to read some great books on this topic. I strongly recommend "The Summer of 1787" and of course the "Federalist Papers."