CONSTITUTION DAY: Thirty-nine of the 42 delegates, of the 12 States (Rhode Island and Providence Plantations boycotted the convention) sign the Constitution for the united States and submit it to the Seventh Confederation Congress for consideration. Three Delegates refuse to sign. One of them, Elbridge T. Gerry, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, predicts a civil war between two factions, one devoted to democracy—the worst possible form of government—and the other committed to despotism. George Washington, former Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, adjourns the convention.
[updated 11/29/2024]
Subsequent Events:
Authority:
Articles of Confederation, Article XIII
ccc-2point0.com/Articles-of-Confederation
References:
Calvin D. Linton, ed. The Bicentennial Almanac: 200 Years of America, 1776-1976, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 1975), 40.
Avalon Project – Madison Debates – September 17
avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/debates_917.asp