Miracle in Philadelphia

The Miracle of Philadelphia The word “miracle ‘ was used by both George Washington and James Madison in their letters to describe the results of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia . In fact , this was the sentiment of most of the delegates They were so absorbed in the heated debates over the form which the Constitution was to take that when the final document was completed for signing , they were amazed at the excellence of their work .Catherine Bowen aptly uses Miracle to describe the result of the Constitutional convention . First , because of the tremendous obstacles that had to be surmounted before it could be completed . Second , because of the many compromises that make it acceptable , and finally , because the document would set the trend for free democratic governments for centuries to come .To say the that the Confederation of states was untenable was an understatement . The nation was the laughing stock of the world . King George himself refused to deal with the Confederation because it was so unreliable , he ‘d rather have diplomacy with the individual states . Some states maintained independent navies to protect their commerce .In the 1780s the government was constantly out of money and even the veterans of the revolution remained unpaid . The national government simply had no money . When it asked for money from the states only a few gave those that did deeply resented those who did not pay . The Confederation , resting only on good faith , had no power to collect taxes , defend the country , pay the public debt , let alone encourage trade and commerce (Brown , 1986 , p 5 . The need for reform was dire and urgent . Among those who championed this cause were Washington , Hamilton and Madison . During the revolution ,Washington struggled to keep the Continental Army supplied in the field despite lacklustre support provided by the Continental Congress . In those days the citizens ‘ loyalty was still graven to the individual states and not to...