Today the delegates debate resolutions three through six of the proposed Virginia Plan. These four resolutions focus on the structure of the legislature and who, exactly, gets to vote. No, the delegates weren't 87 years ahead of the 15th amendment (giving black men the right to vote) or 133 years ahead of the 20th amendment (giving women the right to vote). Instead, they primarily discussed whether the new national legislature should be elected by the people or by state legislatures.  The discussion around this topic really stuck out to me, as it seems to touch on a lot of issues we still debate today—are people really smart enough to elect good people to government? Do they have enough information, or are they "low information voters? Delegate  Rodger Sherman  certainly thought the average voter wouldn't have enough perspective, saying "they want information, and are constantly liable to be misled," which is a statement I feel both sides of the political spect...

Editor's Note Today Roger Sherman of Connecticut takes his seat at the convention. At 66, he is the second oldest in attendance (after Franklin). Sherman will become a key figure when in comes time to resolve the differences between the various proposed plans, especially the pesky issue of how representation should work. Expect to see more of him (and to read more about him here) in late June/early July. Today we finally get to see some debate as the delegates discuss two of Randolph's fifteen Virginia Plan resolutions. The painstaking slowness of this all really makes you appreciate the scale of the whole thing. As always, feel free to reach out to me with any thoughts or ideas. My copyeditor is on vacation this week, so if you notice any glaring errors, it's not my fault. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning! -Logan If you're thirsting for more wisdom on the convention, and looking to support this newsletter, you can buy books from our ...

Editor's Intro After laying down the rules yesterday, the delegates proceeded to lay out six more today– just for fun. The fifth of these is what became known as the "rule of secrecy," stating that the delegates not discuss or publish the happenings of the convention to anyone not attending. TeachingAmericanHistory.org  has some thoughts on the reasoning behind this rule: "the jurors deliberated in secret in order to be candid with each other and to be free to change their mind for the right reason, namely, because they were persuaded to do so. There is also something to be said to being part of an uninterrupted conversation. It isn't so much that politics seeks darkness rather than light; rather it is from darkness that light emerges." It's interesting to think of this in light of much more recent political events. We tend to favor government transparency, but at a certain point too much transparency makes it difficult to debate or deliberate...

The Rules Are Set No one ever accused the convention of moving too quickly. After starting eleven days late, the delegates spent an entire day simply nominating George Washington to run the whole thing (and creating a committee to draft rules for the rest of the convention). On Sunday, May 27, delegate George Mason wrote to his son (conveniently named George Mason Jr.) that "nothing was done yesterday but unanimously appointing General Washington President." He also noted that "it is impossible to judge how long we shall be detained here, but from present appearances I fear until July, if not later." Spoiler alert: it was later. Below you'll find James Madison's summary of the happenings of today, and it's mostly just a list of rules. Below that there's a short biography of delegate Edmund Randolph, who is an important character to know in preparation for tomorrow, so pay attention! Tomorrow the real action starts.  As always, feel free to...