The Constitutional Convention as a Four-Act Play by Professor Gordon Lloyd
High School / History / U.S. History
Gordon Lloyd, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Ashbrook Center and Dockson Professor Emeritus, Pepperdine University imagines the Constitutional Convention as a four-act play, replete with memorable characters and unexpected plot twists. The scene: Philadelphia, PA in 1789. The dramatic personae: James Madison, Roger Sherman, Alexander Hamilton, and others. The conflicts: large states vs. small states; north vs. south; union vs. disunion. Professor Lloyd highlights the significant compromises achieved while noting that the play’s epilogue—the resolution of the slavery question—would not be resolved for another 60 years.