15: “We the People:” Constitution Making in Philly
History That Doesn't Suck
Prof. Greg Jackson
4.7 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2018
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
“What even is the Virginia Plan but democracy checked by democracy, or pork with a little change of the sauce?”
This is the story of 55 men from 12 of the 13 sovereign states gathered at the Pennsylvania State House during the miserably hot Philadelphian summer of 1787. They are here to discuss the failing Articles of Confederation. Foreign debts are past due. Rebellions are rising. The states are fighting. Can they fix all of this? Or will the disagreeing, arguing, threatening, theorizing, brainstorming, (mostly) sober-speech making, and compromising all be for naught?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | History that doesn't suck is a bi-weekly podcast, delivering a legit, seriously researched, |
| 0:05.4 | hard-hitting survey of American history through entertaining stories. |
| 0:08.6 | To keep up with History that doesn't suck news, check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. |
| 0:13.0 | If you'd like to help keep the podcast going, or enjoy some of the extras we offer, please |
| 0:16.7 | consider giving at patreon.com-forward-slash-history-that-doesn't-suck. |
| 0:30.0 | Welcome to History that doesn't suck. |
| 0:34.8 | I'm your professor, Craig Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. |
| 0:43.1 | The warning shot rips through the freezing afternoon air. |
| 0:47.0 | The commander who ordered the shot, a former continental army colonel now serving as a general |
| 0:51.8 | in the Massachusetts militia, William Sheppard, hopes it will dissuade the approaching |
| 0:56.5 | army of farmers from attacking. |
| 0:59.2 | These farmers certainly have the numbers. |
| 1:01.8 | There's over a thousand of them. |
| 1:04.7 | But Williams men are far better armed. |
| 1:07.6 | Unlike the farmers wielding old muskets and clubs, they're guarding a freaking army that |
| 1:12.2 | contains 7,000 brand new muskets and bayonets, 1,300 barrels of black powder, a few pieces |
| 1:18.9 | of artillery, and of course, all the shot they need to put these goodies to use. |
| 1:26.2 | Yeah, my money's on Williams militia, not the farmers. |
| 1:30.8 | It's January 25, 1787, and we're at the Springfield Arsenal located in western Massachusetts. |
| 1:38.3 | On the one side, we have an army of farmers who are incensed at the state government for |
| 1:42.9 | refusing to defer the due day on taxes or to issue paper money. |
| 1:48.1 | Either or both of these reasonable measures would greatly ease life for these western |
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