• The Constitution is the document that created the present government of the United States.
• Fifty-five delegates convened in Philadelphia's Independence Hall for the Constitutional Convention on May 25, 1787 to design the new United States government.
• Twelve states sent their smartest, most experienced men to the meeting, but Rhode Island, fearing federal intervention in state affairs, sent no one.
• New York lawyer Gouverneur Morris took on the task of penning the Constitution.
• He used records that James Madison of Virginia kept from the debates at the Convention.
• James Madison also designed the checks and balances among Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court.  He became known as "Father of the Constitution."
• The original document, drafted by Morris, is preserved in the National Archives Building in Washington, D. C.

Photo Found:  http://www.bu.edu/bufellow/madison.htm
Information Found:  Nelson, Rebecca, Editor  The Handy History Answer book, Michigan: Visible Ink Press, 1999