Which of the following statements about the delegates to the Constitutional Convention is true:

Which of the following statements about the delegates to the Constitutional Convention is true:

A. as creditors, businessmen, and plantation owners, they were members of the economic elite.

B. they had very little practical experience in politics and public service.

C. few were born within the territory of the United States, and therefore had divided loyalties.

D. the only reason they attended the convention was to satisfy their own personal interests.

Answer: A. as creditors, businessmen, and plantation owners, they were members of the economic elite.

This statement is essentially true about most of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Thus, the framers who met in Philadelphia to write the United States Constitution were drawn from the upper crust of American society, the society’s winners of the period, in economic and social terms.

This is because many delegates represented the colonial elite; deputies were planters and large farmers, merchants, and lawyers. For instance, George Washington and James Madison are known to be Virginian planters. Alexander Hamilton could be described as a lawyer and financier as he had earned a reputation as such. Benjamin Franklin was one of the most influential scientists, inventors and diplomats of the American Enlightenment era and at the time of the revolution, he possessed a fair amount of wealth in the form of money from his commercial printing business. Robert Morris of Pennsylvania referred to as the financier of the revolution was rich and endowed with business-like qualities.

Because of this, there stood much to gain for their class to establish a stable government that would foster respect for property and encourage development. It also played a significant part in many of the decisions that were made at the convention concerning contracts, and interstate commerce.

But it can be noted that though the delegates were coming from the economic upper crust of the society, they were political animals, who came with vast political experience and a clear intention to make a working government. Most had been members of colonial or state assemblies the Continental Congress or even governors. They certainly were privileged, but they also received their education and work exposure to prepare them for the mammoth job of creating a nation.