On Sept. 17, 1787—221 years ago today—a group of men gathered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

They had been meeting there since May, charged with creating a Constitution for the new United States of America.

All the colonies save Rhode Island sent delegates to the Constitutional Convention—55 delegates in all. The roster included some of the most distinguished citizens of the new republic, including Dr. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Alexander Hamilton of New York and George Washington and James Madison of Virginia.

Th...

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