<P> Manasseh Cutler came directly from the capital in New York and found himself a frequent dinner guest among the delegates . He carried grants of five million acres to parcel out among The Ohio Company and "speculators", including some who were attending the Convention . A Philadelphia guest of Robert Morris, Noah Webster would write a pamphlet immediately after the signing . "Leading Principles of the Federal Convention" advocated adoption of the Constitution . It was published much earlier and more widely circulated than today's better known Federalist Papers . </P> <P> While waiting for the Convention to formally begin, James Madison sketched out his initial draft, which became known as the Virginia Plan and reflected his views as a strong nationalist . By the time the rest of the Virginia delegation arrived, most of the Pennsylvania delegation had arrived as well . They agreed on Madison's plan, and formed what came to be the predominant coalition . By the time the Convention started, the only blueprints that had been assembled were Madison's Virginia Plan, and Charles Pinckney's plan . As Pinckney didn't have a coalition behind his plan, Madison's plan was the starting point for deliberations . </P> <P> The Convention agreed on several principles . Most importantly, they agreed that the Convention should go beyond its mandate merely to amend the Articles of Confederation, and instead should produce a new constitution outright . While some delegates thought this illegal, the Articles of Confederation were closer to a treaty between sovereign states than they were to a national constitution, so the genuine legal problems were limited . Another principle they agreed on was that the new government would have all the powers of the Confederation Congress, plus additional powers over the states . Once agreeing on these principles, the Convention voted on the Virginia plan and signaled their approval for it . Once this was done, they began modifying it . </P> <P> Madison's plan operated on several assumptions that were not seriously challenged . During the deliberations, few raised serious objections to the planned bicameral congress, nor the separate executive function, nor the separate judicial function . As English law had typically recognized government as having two separate functions, law making embodied in the legislature, and law executing embodied in the king and his courts, the division of the legislature from the executive and judiciary was a natural and uncontested point . </P>

Who were the convention delegates and what did they have in common