9781422275603

Delegates gathered in the assembly room for discussions about the Constitution.

asked why he did not support the remaking of the Constitution, he said simply, “I smelt a rat.” The year before, James Madison had called a conference in Annapolis, Mary- land, to address the issue of the national government’s lack of power. States were not paying their fair share of the national budget, they ignored the authority of Congress, and they violated each other’s rights, as well as international treaties. Basically, the national government only controlled foreign policy and concluded treaties.Very few delegates showed up in Annapolis. Those who did appear wrote a report for Congress, stating that they thought another convention should be called to discuss the weaknesses in the current system. Congress and leaders in all the states would soon know just how

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How the U.S. Constitution Was Created

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