Discover how 55 delegates created the U.S. Constitution in just 88 days during the summer of 1787. Constitutional scholar Gordon Lloyd breaks down the Philadelphia Convention using his acclaimed "four-act drama" framework, revealing the behind-the-scenes negotiations, heated debates, and crucial compromises that shaped American government.

What You'll Learn:

✓ How Madison's Virginia Plan clashed with the New Jersey Plan

✓ The Connecticut Compromise that balanced state vs. popular representation

✓ Why slavery debates nearly derailed the entire convention

✓ How the Electoral College and presidency were actually created

✓ The dramatic final moments and Franklin's famous "rising sun" speech

Key Topics Covered:

• Virginia Plan vs New Jersey Plan conflict
• Connecticut Compromise and Great Compromise
• Three-Fifths Compromise and 1808 slave trade agreement
• Creation of the Electoral College system
• Presidential powers and impeachment provisions
• Committee of Detail and Committee of Style
• Bill of Rights controversy and non-signers

Featured Experts:

Gordon Lloyd (Pepperdine University, Ashbrook Center Senior Fellow)

Chris Burkett (Ashland University, Ashbrook Scholar Program Director)

Hosted by Jeff Sikkenga (Ashbrook Center Executive Director)

Related Resources:

The American Founding website: theamericanfounding.org

Ashbrook's 50 Core American Documents: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/product/50-core-american-documents-cdc/

Madison's Constitutional Convention notes (Ashbrook edition): https://teachingamericanhistory.org/product/debates-in-the-federal-convention-of-1787/