Group+1

I. Purpose of the Philadelphia Convention and rules for the Convention (Ch 9) Jacqui, Manisha, Christie

A. For each of the men listed, tell their role at the Convention and what ideas they contributed: George Washington; James Madison; Benjamin Franklin


 * George Washington** -He was the most respected and honored man in the country. Congress had difficulties supplying his army during the Revolutionary War, which caused him to want a stronger national government. He initially refused to attend the convention with hopes of remaining in his private life, but later agreed because his lack of presence would seem like a loss of faith in the Republican government. He was unanimously elected president of the convention, but he didn't take an active role in the debates.
 * James Madison** - He had a lifelong commitment to freedom of religion, and spent the previous winter studying ancient and modern political theory in preparation for the deliberations - greatest influence on the organization of the national government. He drafted the Virginia Plan prior to the conference, which became the basis for much of the Convention's discussion.
 * Benjamin Franklin** - He was internationally respected, and his presence lent an aura of wisdom to the convention. He believed that executive power was too great to be placed in the hands of one person and that a committee was a much better option (PBS).

B. What was Rhode Island hoping to accomplish by not sending a delegate to the Convention? Rhode Island's legislature didn't want a stronger national government. They believed that it could exercise veto power over whatever was proposed by simply refusing to participate.

C. The Convention demonstrated the Framers’ ability to engage in **//civil discourse.//** 1. Define this term. **Civil discourse** is a reasoned discussion in which every member has the opportunity to speak on any question, in which no individual's voice can drown out the ideas of others, and in which listening matters as much as speaking. 2. From your knowledge of government and politics today, how well are we engaging in civil discourse? Explain your answer. During the Philadelphia Convention, one of the seven rules established was that you could only speak twice on a certain issue. Today, in any type of conference or convention, we allow for individual proclamation of ideas and opinions, even if they conflict with others' opinions. Therefore, we engage in civil discourse in an organized manner, through the sharing of different ideas.

PBS Source: http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_citizen_founding.html