1776-May 24， 1787
A lively city in ordinary times， Philadelphia was touched by
a special aura of suspense that May of 1787. Even the rain
clouds that darkened the skies for much of the month did
nothing to dampen a sense of expectancy that was almost pal-
pable. For once again， as so often in the recent past， this at-
tractive， well-ordered city seemed to its citizens to be at the
absolute center of things. Critical decisions were again to be
made here， decisions that would surely affect the lives of
Americans still unborn. And if there was hope in the general
air of anticipation， it was a hope tinged with fear.
That all event of such moment should be taking place in
Philadelphia， however， seemed only natural. It had， after all，
been here that the First Continental Congress had met in 1774，
just thirteen years earlier， in the crisis that followed the British
closing of the port of Boston. It was here that the Second Con-
tinental Congress， meeting in 1775 after the fighting at Lexing-
ton and Concord， had named George Washington commander
of a new Continental Army. And it was most emphatically
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