July 15, 1787: A Sorely Needed Recess

Composite of 11 Illustrations of Vegetable Roots, 1760. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2005680733/

"P.S. Have you thinned the Carrots which were too thick?"

--The end of a long letter from Washington (VA) to his nephew, advising him on how to take care of his plantation in his absence.

The Convention Today

The Convention was in recess this Sunday.

The preceding week fatigued many of the delegates. They’d decided only a few minor issues and were still clashing over representation in the Senate with little indication that the large and small states could reconcile their differences.

Some details relating to representation in Congress were established. It was agreed that the members of the first branch would be determined by a census every ten years, that direct taxation would be tied to the number of congressmen, that the census would count three-fifths of "other persons" (enslaved Americans), and that property would not be counted in apportioning representation. Yet the matter of representation in the second branch seemed to have no viable resolution. Advocates from the large states—Madison (VA), Gouverneur Morris (PA), and others—argued logically and with conviction that representation in the second branch should be determined by population. On the other side, delegates from the smaller states remained intransigent in their position that all states should have equal representation in the Senate. No amount of logic or rhetoric could dissuade them from their position, and if the large state delegates persisted in demanding proportional representation, some small states were prepared to leave the convention.

Despite the temper and tension, there was opportunity for compromise. The report of the grand committee recommended a plan with proportional representation in the House and equal in the Senate. A crucial number of delegates now understood that reconciliation would be essential for the convention to continue.

Synopsis

• The Convention was in recess.

Delegates Today

• Richard Henry Lee wrote to Washington (VA) and enclosed a copy of the Northwest Ordinance, recently passed by the Confederation Congress. Lee explained that the measure was necessary to ensure a strong government in the area and protect property rights. He further mentioned that a major factor in passing the Ordinance was that the sale of five to six million acres would reduce the domestic debt. He continued by expressing his frustrations over the proposed Spanish Treaty, which would give the United States favorable commercial rights in exchange for closing the Mississippi River to American traffic for 25 years. Newspapers in New York were filled with articles opposing the treaty. Lee noted that opposition to the treaty might lead to war with Spain, her allies, and probably Great Britain. In his view, not only would a war threaten the independence of the country, it would also destroy the present and future trade possibilities of the United States. Fears of war and loss of commerce aside, Lee worried that unrestricted use of the river would depopulate and ruin the thirteen original states.

Philadelphia Today

• Ads for runaway indentured servants frequented the pages of the Pennsylvania Gazette this week. An eight-dollar reward was offered for a Dutch man named Johan Henry Henning, 45, who understood little English. His indenture had been purchased on board a ship the previous fall. Another master offered only one shilling for an apprentice lad, James Bluett, five foot four, who disappeared wearing a checkered shirt, trousers, a jacket without sleeves, and calfskin shoes.

Part of a series of articles titled
The Constitutional Convention: A Day by Day Account for July 1 to 15, 1787.

Previous:
July 14, 1787: Revisiting the Compromise

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• Independence National Historical Park

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