History of the United States Constitution
Appointed to the convention were 74 delegates—only 55 of which actually attended the sessions. The state of Rhode Island refused to send any delegates. They believed the convention was actually a conspiracy to overthrow the Confederation government. Patrick Henry of Virginia was another who refused to attend declaring he "smelt a rat." In particular he suspected James Madison, also of Virginia, of wanting to create a new form of government. Henry was a firm believer that the states offered the best protections for personal rights and wanted nothing to do with upsetting that arrangement. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were away on diplomatic missions. John Jay was in New York at the diplomatic office. For various reasons many of the country's major political leaders were not at the convention. But the list of those who did attend was impressive. It included Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, George Mason, John Dickinson, Gouverneur Morris and George Washington. Many others also became famous as framers of the Constitution.