counteract each other. The delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention were a very distinguished body of men who represented a cross section of 18th- century American leadership. Nearly all of the delegates had experience in colonial and state government, and the majority held county and local offices. Our Founding Fathers practiced a wide range of occupations, and many of them had more than one career at the same time. Thirty-five were lawyers and benefited from legal training, but not all of them relied on the occupation for a livelihood. Some had also become Judges.Almost all the delegates were born in the 13 colonies. Only eight were born else where, Four in Ireland, Two in England, One in Scotland, and one in the West Indies. The Founding Fathers educational background was very diverse. Some had obtained instruction from private tutors or at Academies. While, the others like Benjamin Franklin were mainly self taught and had received little or no instruction. Despite family life and longevity most of the group continued to render outstanding public service, particularly to the new government they had helped to create. And most of the delegates contributed in many ways to their cities, communities, and states. Also many of their sons and other descendants were to occupy high positions in American political life. Some of the delegates still had a going concern about the civil rights of the people and to make sure that the tyranny of a central government did not overtake them as it did in Britain. They demanded a “bill of rights” that would clearly state the freedoms of the individual citizen, the First Congress of the United States proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that addressed the most frequently brought up concerns. The first 2 amendments addressed the number of representatives in the House and Congress, and these were not ratified. Articles 3 –12 however did pass wit...
