Pennsylvania Politics.

In the 1770s the most troubling issue for Pennsylvanians was the control three counties—Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester—had over the rest of the province. Though home to only one-third of the population, these three counties elected twenty-six of the thirty-six members of the assembly. Westerners and German immigrants, who were subject to strict naturalization laws, were effectively disenfranchised. Residents of the city of Philadelphia had fewer representatives than did residents of Philadelphia County, living beyond the city boundaries. In 1776 resentment against this domination erupted, and on 10 May, when Congress called on the states to form new governments, Philadelphians responded enthusiastically, calling for a general conference to meet in Philadelphia on 18 June. This conference called for a state convention in which each county and the city of Philadelphia would have an equal number of delegates. On 15 July the convention met and almost...