The Delegates and the State House. Washington and Madison. Summary and Analysis

General Washington arrives in Philadelphia on May 13, the day before the Convention is to open. He is given a hero's welcome and makes his way to the home of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin is now in his 80s and has reached a level of international renown as an inventor and a thinker. He is perhaps the most "prestigious" member of the Convention, Bowen suggests.

On May 14, the day the Convention is to start, only the two states of Pennsylvania and Virginia are represented. Muddy roads and long distances keep delegates away until May 25, when a quorum of seven states is reached. As they wait for their colleagues, the delegates from Virginia and Pennsylvania meet and discuss the upcoming Convention. During this time, the Virginians write up...