What was George Washington’s role at the Constitutional Convention?
About this video
George Washington was not a strong public speaker, but his dignity, judgment and national respect made him the natural choice to preside over the Constitutional Convention, and he was elected unanimously. He lent the convention credibility, voted as part of the split Virginia delegation, and quietly shaped debates by meeting delegates privately and choosing who spoke first.
You'll be able to
- describe the strengths that made Washington the right person to preside.
- explain how Washington influenced the convention without giving speeches.
Key words
- preside
- To be in charge of a meeting and run it.
- credibility
- The quality of being trusted and believed.
- delegation
- A group of people sent to represent a state.
- unanimously
- With everyone agreeing.
Transcript
[MUSIC] In some ways, George Washington kept the entire endeavor going. He didn't say much, but of course, he was never a good public speaker. That was not one of his strengths. What his strengths were that he had dignity. He had authority. He had judgment. He had wisdom.
He was respected by everyone. He and Benjamin Franklin were the only true national heroes. Everyone else was mostly a local or state figure. He had national credibility, and so with Benjamin Franklin being quite old, even Benjamin Franklin agreed that the best person to preside over the convention. Because of his mixture of strengths, statue, respect, but also not being a speaker. He wasn't like James Madison. He wasn't a political deal maker.
He was elected unanimously to preside over the convention. From that presiding over the convention, he lent it credibility. He also continued to vote. He was a voting member of the Virginia delegation, and his vote was often crucial because that was the split delegation. He had his own ideas, but now he didn't need to speak to them.
He could by a wink and a nod, by who he picked to speak and when he picked to speak. Often, he would meet with many of the leading delegates privately, like Franklin or Gouverneur Morris, he'd meet with them regularly. Then when a compromise was coming out or an idea was coming out that was going to be significant, he would then call on that person first, having met with him the night before. We can see Washington's hand behind the entire convention. [MUSIC]
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