Why Did Benjamin Franklin Sign The Constitution?

When it came time for the states to ratify the Constitution the lack of any bill of rights was the primary sticking point. Because of his poor health Benjamin Franklin needed help to sign the Constitution.

Did Benjamin Franklin want to sign the Constitution?

Franklin wrote an impassioned speech in which he used his persuasive powers to urge all delegates to sign the Constitution. Franklin admitted that it was an imperfect document but probably the best they could expect. Following the speech the Constitution was signed.

What did Benjamin Franklin say about the Constitution?

When did Benjamin Franklin sign the Constitution?

On September 17 1787 a group of men gathered in a closed meeting room to sign the greatest vision of human freedom in history the U.S. Constitution. And it was Benjamin Franklin who made the motion to sign the document in his last great speech.

What are the three reasons Franklin gives for agreeing to the constitution?

First he thinks a strong federal government is necessary. Second he thinks that it would be impossible to make a constitution that is closer to being perfect than this one is. Finally he thinks the Constitution will be good for people in his time and in the future.

Why did Ben Franklin not sign the Declaration of Independence?

Jefferson was a member of a five-person committee appointed by the Continental Congress to write the Declaration. The committee included Jefferson Benjamin Franklin John Adams Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. … He believed that it was too soon to declare independence and therefore refused to sign.

What did Benjamin Franklin say when he signed the Declaration of Independence?

What did Ben Franklin say after the Constitution was written?

On September 17 1787 delegates left the Constitutional Convention in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. As they exited Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government do we have? “A Republic ” he replied “if you can keep it.”

What did Benjamin Franklin do before the Constitutional Convention?

CAREER BEFORE THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. Franklin was the tenth son of a Massachusetts soap and candle maker. Largely self-taught Franklin displayed an intellectual ability readily apparent to those around him that would earn him an international reputation in various fields.

What happened during the signing of the Constitution?

On September 17 1787 the Constitution was signed. … In June Virginia ratified the Constitution followed by New York in July. On September 25 1789 the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution”the Bill of Rights”and sent them to the states for ratification.

Why did George Mason refuse to sign the Constitution?

As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention Mason refused to sign the Constitution and lobbied against its ratification in his home state believing the document as drafted gave too much power to a central government and was incomplete absent a bill of rights to guarantee individual liberty.

Why was the Constitution written?

A chief aim of the Constitution as drafted by the Convention was to create a government with enough power to act on a national level but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk. … The powers of each branch are enumerated in the Constitution with powers not assigned to them reserved to the States.

What is Benjamin Franklin’s opinion of the Constitution according to his speech in the convention?

According to his Speech in the Convention what is Benjamin Franklin’s overall opinion of the proposed Constitution? He strongly disapproves of it.

What is the main point of Benjamin Franklin’s speech in the convention?

What is the main point of Benjamin Franklin’s Speech in the Convention? The Constitutional Convention should support the Constitution because the document is as good as it is likely to be.

Why is Benjamin Franklin willing to support the Constitution even though he dislikes portions of it?

Franklin wanted the Constitution ratified because it was important that the new nation be properly governed. While he saw that the Constitution was an imperfect document he did not believe that the Constitutional Convention could create any better at the moment.

Did Ben Franklin help write the Constitution?

What happened to Benjamin Franklin after signing the Declaration of Independence?

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)”After the signing of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Franklin helped to negotiate the Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778 and the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783.

Did the founding fathers sign the Constitution?

Written in 1787 the Constitution was signed on September 17. But it wasn’t until 1788 that it was ratified by the necessary nine states. … Two of America’s Founding Fathers didn’t sign the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was representing his country in France and John Adams was doing the same in Great Britain.

Why was Benjamin Franklin important to the Declaration of Independence?

What did Benjamin Franklin say?

What founder signed both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution?

6 signed both. Roger Sherman George Clymer Benjamin Franklin Robert Morris James Wilson and George Read signed both the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787.

Did Ben Franklin want a bill of rights?

In addition to championing freedom of the press (Franklin was the first to publish Cato’s “Essay on Free Speech” in 1722 after his brother was imprisoned for criticizing the Massachusetts government) Franklin vigorously supported the rights of religious freedom speech and assembly that were ultimately incorporated …

Who is known as the Father of the Constitution?

James Madison America’s fourth President (1809-1817) made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.”

Why was Benjamin Franklin a federalist?

Franklin was a federalist (small f) in the sense of supporting the new constitution. He was central to the writing and formulation of the original Articles of Confederation. The articles were based on the Law of the Great Peace of the Iroquois Confederacy the oldest written constitution in the world.

How did the Constitution begin?

The document was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and was ratified through a series of state conventions held in 1787 and 1788. … The Constitution grew out of efforts to reform the Articles of Confederation an earlier constitution which provided for a loose alliance of states with a weak central government.

Is Benjamin Franklin a Founding Father?

One of the foremost of the Founding Fathers Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was one of its signers represented the United States in France during the American Revolution and was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

Who actually wrote the Constitution?

James Madison

The easiest answer to the question of who wrote the Constitution is James Madison who drafted the document after the Constitutional Convention of 1787.Jan 23 2018

Why was the Constitution ratified?

The Federalists countered that a strong government was necessary to lead the new nation and promised to add a bill of rights to the Constitution. The Federalist Papers in particular argued in favor of ratification and sought to convince people that the new government would not become tyrannical.

Why did the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution?

With this in mind the framers wrote the Constitution to provide for a separation of powers or three separate branches of government. Each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed.

What did the Constitution do?

The Constitution of the United States established America’s national government and fundamental laws and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. … Under America’s first governing document the Articles of Confederation the national government was weak and states operated like independent countries.

What 2 founding fathers never signed the Constitution?

Three of those present (George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts) refused to sign what they considered a flawed document.

What was George Mason’s objections to the Constitution?

Many were not pleased with the document that was drafted. One of George Mason’s objections was that he thought the Constitution did not adequately protect U.S. citizens without a Bill of Rights. Since no Bill of Rights was intended to be added before the document was ratified he chose not to sign the Constitution.

Was George Mason a member of the Continental Congress?

What are three reasons for writing the constitution?

Benjamin Franklin asks all to Sign the Constitution 9-17-1787