Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Tough Issues
Read about the change of plans when delegates to the Philadelphia convention decided to write a new constitution to replace the Articles of Convention. See the ideas delegates had to address concerns of large and small states.
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburgh: Meet the People: George Wythe
A short biographical sketch on George Wythe, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention from Virginia.
US Department of State
Office of the Historian: Constitutional Convention and Ratification
Among the many weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was the inability of the government to conduct foreign policy in an effective manner. Find out how the Constitutional Convention addressed this issue by allowing the Executive...
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg: Edmund Randolph Fact Sheet
This site provides some insight into Randolph's family as well as political life.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Founding Fathers
This site provides a very brief description of three of the founding fathers of the Constitution: Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington. The site provides links to further biographies of all three men as well as...
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Founding Fathers: Edmund Randolph
The major focus of this site is Randolph's role in the creation of the Constitution and his views on the structure of the executive branch of government.
University of North Carolina
Unc: Reminiscences & Memoirs of John H. Wheeler
The full text of John Wheeler's memoirs (478 pages) in which he writes a history of North Carolina by talking about its famous citizens. He has a lengthy section on Richard Dobbs Spaight, Sr. in which he discusses his life and how he...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: George Washington: The First Administration
Read about George Washington's presidency. See why his role was so important in setting precedents to be followed by future chief executives. Find out about some of the warts in his personality too, all of which made him more human.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Historic Valley Forge: Major General Alexander Hamilton
A short biography of Alexander Hamilton containing information on his military service during the American Revolution as well as his later life in politics.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Resource Study: Charles Pinckney National Historic Site [Pdf]
A scholarly publication which examines the archaeological findings of Snee Farm, the plantation and house owned by Charles Pinckney, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention from South Carolina. Click on "Table of Contents" to get a...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Petition From the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery
A learning module that begins with "Petition from the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery" by Benjamin Franklin, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History Period 3: 1754 1800: The American Revolution
This Khan Academy resource provides video lessons, detailed notes, and practice questions for the AP U.S. History Exam. The years 1754-1800 are covered.
Soylent Communications
Notable Names Database: Edmund Randolph
A short biography of this delegate from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention. He is the author of the "Virginia Plan" and he later became the first attorney general of the United States.
Soylent Communications
Nndb: Charles Pinckney
A short but detailed biography of this delegate from South Carolina to the Constitutional Convention. He later served as governor of the state.
Soylent Communications
Notable Names Database: James Wilson
A short but detailed biography of this delegate to the Constitutional Convention from Pennsylvania. Wilson later served as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Library of Congress
Loc: The New Nation, 1783 1815
The links in the New Nation, which is provided for by the Library of Congress, will lead you to sets of selected primary sources on a variety of topics,such as the Constitution, governmental policy on Native Americans, and problems and...
The History Cat
The History Cat: The Constitutional Convention: Creating the Constitution
Explains why the Articles of Confederation were not strong enough to hold the country together. One result was a farmers' rebellion in Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, which was precipitated by a debt crisis that caused many farmers to...
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: Signing the Constitution
This site has a brief summary that describes the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. This group is sometimes called the "Founding Fathers."
Library of Congress
Loc: Ferrand's Records: Records of the Federal Convention
A large collection of chronological links to the text of the official records of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.
Other
The Architect of the Capitol: Roger Sherman
This resource from the Architect of the Capitol is a government site that focuses on art and architecture in the U.S. Capitol. Features a picture of a marble statue of Sherman.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: The Articles of Confederation
At this site read a short synopsis of the Articles of Confederation, and then complete a short quiz by clicking on the "show what you know" link at the bottom.
Success Link
Success Link: 1787 [Archived Version]
By using the novel, Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz, and 1787 by Joan Anderson, learners learn the lively discussion among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention concerning the ratification of the document they...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Benjamin Franklin Timeline
Independence Hall Association features an easy-to-read timeline offering a wealth of information about Franklin's life.
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 5. King's, the Revolution
This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. This article focuses on King's College, soon to be Columbia College, in the...