 | |
| Date | September 11–14, 1786 (1786-09-11 –1786-09-14) |
|---|---|
| Venue | Old Senate Chamber, Maryland State House |
| Location | Annapolis, Maryland, USA |
| Coordinates | 38°58′38.1″N76°29′24.6″W / 38.977250°N 76.490167°W /38.977250; -76.490167 |
| Also known as | Meeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government |
| Participants | 12 |
TheAnnapolis Convention, formally titled as aMeeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government, was a national political convention held September 11–14, 1786 in the old Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House[1] inAnnapolis, Maryland (The Maryland Society, Sons of the American Revolution claim the location was at Mann's Tavern[2][3] where some of the delegates possibly dined and slept.), in which twelve delegates from fiveU.S. states (New Jersey,New York,Pennsylvania,Delaware, andVirginia) gathered to discuss and develop a consensus on reversing theprotectionist trade barriers that each state had erected. At the time, under theArticles of Confederation, each state waslargely independent from the others, and thenational government had no authority to regulate trade between and among the states.[4]New Hampshire,Massachusetts,Rhode Island, andNorth Carolina had appointed commissioners, who failed to arrive in Annapolis in time to attend the meeting, andConnecticut,Maryland,South Carolina, andGeorgia had taken no action at all.[5] The convention also related toGeorge Washington's plans concerning the waterways connecting thePotomac and theOhio River.
Most of the delegates to the meeting were tasked only to take up the issue of trade among the states, but New Jersey's delegates were authorized to discuss a broader scope of reforms. The group realized that the issue of trade touched upon many other aspects of the Confederation and that a future meeting with a broader scope would be necessary to adequately address the problems.
The final report of the convention was adopted unanimously and sent to theCongress of the Confederation and to the states. Its main author wasAlexander Hamilton.[6][7][8] The report sought support for a broaderconstitutional convention to be held the following May in Philadelphia. It expressed the hope that more states would be represented and that their delegates or deputies would be authorized to examine areas broader than trade alone.[9]
Because of the few representatives in attendance, their authority was limited. It is unclear how much weight the convention's call carried, but the urgency of the need for constitutional reform was highlighted by a number of rebellions that took place all over the country. Although most of them were easily suppressed,Shays' Rebellion lasted from August 1786 to February 1787. The rebellion called attention to both popular discontent and government weakness.[10]
The direct result of the Annapolis Convention's report and the ensuing events was the 1787Philadelphia Convention, when theUnited States Constitution was drafted.
These states were represented with delegates:[11]
