See Also:    Convention: Introduction to this Site | Introduction to the Convention | Four Act Drama |        Day by Day Summary | Major Themes | Madison's Notes | Selected Correspondence    Delegates: Age of Framers in 1787 | Educational Backgrounds | Continental Experiences |        Delegates by State | Alphabetical List | Interactive Scene at the Signing of the Constitution |        Interactive Map of Philadelphia | Entertainment of George Washington at the City Tavern

The fundamental difficulty facing teachers and students of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 is how to make sense of the vast and complex material. "1. How do you teach the Convention? Is there really a coherent conversation taking place or is there just a random set of utterances? 2. How do you keep the students connected with the arguments that often change during the course of four months? This is a visual generation rather than a textual generation." These are the two most persistent questions that I'm invited to answer when I'm on the road introducing the Convention to High School and College teachers. What makes the task easier is that there is a genuine desire among the participants to recover what is good about the American Founding.

This Web Site provides a ten-step guide to understanding the Constitutional Convention.

1. The Introduction to the Convention is an overview of the arguments and decisions of the Convention.

2. I have organized the Convention into a four-part drama with numerous scenes.

3. A Day-by-Day Summary, constructed with the help of a former student from the School of Public Policy, permits the viewer to scan the major decisions as they unfold.

4. The Major Themes of the Convention section provides a summary of the critical turning points of the Convention with links to the debates.

5. The above topics are linked to Madison's Notes, the most complete original account of the events of 1787.

6. There is a Biographical Sketch of the Framers that documents their ages, educational background, continental experience, and their activity at the Convention.

7. Howard Christy's rendition of the Signing of the Constitution permits participants to engage in an interactive exchange with links to the other items.

8. With the help of a former student, and a free-lance photographer, I have replicated 1787 Philadelphia and provided the text to explain the importance of people and places.

9 & 10 in progress is a Day-by-Day Attendance Record and a detailed replication of Committee assignments.

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