Constitutional Convention

American  

noun

1. the convention in Philadelphia (1787) of representatives from each of the former Colonies, except Rhode Island, at which the Constitution of the United States was framed.

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Constitutional Convention Cultural  

1. The gathering that drafted the Constitution of the United States in 1787; all states were invited to send delegates. The convention, meeting in Philadelphia, designed a government with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. It established Congress as a lawmaking body with two houses: each state is given two representatives in the Senate, whereas representation in the House of Representatives is based on population.

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Example Sentences

Wilson survived the attack and went on to be a major part of the Constitutional Convention and one of America’s first great constitutional jurists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

It was far more prominent in the discussions in the Constitutional Convention and in early state constitutions than the freedom of speech.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government had been delivered to the new republic after the 1787 Constitutional Convention, offered a timeless warning: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025

More than a century ago, the historian Charles Beard told the story of a Constitutional Convention dominated by an “elite” group determined to protect its property and economic standing.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025

As befitted the central player in the Constitutional Convention, Madison emphasized the various legal obligations imposed by the compact of 1787.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis