<P> Congress was paralyzed . It could do nothing significant without nine states, and some legislation required all thirteen . When a state produced only one member in attendance, its vote was not counted . If a state's delegation were evenly divided, its vote could not be counted towards the nine - count requirement . The Articles Congress had "virtually ceased trying to govern". The vision of a "respectable nation" among nations seemed to be fading in the eyes of revolutionaries such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Rufus King . Their dream of a republic, a nation without hereditary rulers, with power derived from the people in frequent elections, was in doubt . </P> <P> On February 21, 1787, the Confederation Congress called a convention of state delegates at Philadelphia to propose a plan of government . Unlike earlier attempts, the convention was not meant for new laws or piecemeal alterations, but for the "sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation". The convention was not limited to commerce; rather, it was intended to "render the federal constitution adequate to the exigencies of government and the preservation of the Union ." The proposal might take effect when approved by Congress and the states . </P> <P> On the appointed day, May 14, 1787, only the Virginia and Pennsylvania delegations were present, and so the convention's opening meeting was postponed for lack of a quorum . A quorum of seven states met and deliberations began on May 25 . Eventually twelve states were represented; 74 delegates were named, 55 attended and 39 signed . The delegates were generally convinced that an effective central government with a wide range of enforceable powers must replace the weaker Congress established by the Articles of Confederation . Their depth of knowledge and experience in self - government was remarkable . As Thomas Jefferson in Paris wrote to John Adams in London, "It really is an assembly of demigods ." </P> <P> Delegates used two streams of intellectual tradition, and any one delegate could be found using both or a mixture depending on the subject under discussion: foreign affairs, the economy, national government, or federal relationships among the states . Two plans for structuring the federal government arose at the convention's outset: </P>

Who created the constitution of the united states
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