First Continental Congress |
- John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence |
In 1763 Roger Sherman was elected into the first Continental Congress. In 1774 Sherman was a part of the committee that drafted the Continental Association The Continental Association or known more simply as the "association" was a system that created a trade Boycott with Great Britain. |
Declaration of Independence
On June 11th 1776 Sherman was appointed to the along with Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and Robert R. Livingston to a committee by the Second Continental Congress. They are known as the committee of five, the drafters of the Declaration of Indpendence.
Articles of Confederation
On the day after he was appointed to draft the Declaration, Roger Sherman was appointed to a thirteen member committee to draft a governing document for the emerging nation. The final draft of the Articles of Confederation was done on November 15th 1777. The Articles were not ratified until March 1st 1781. Under the Articles the federal government was weak, the states held most of the power. This government proved ultimately ineffective while still providing the much needed transition period for America to gain it's foothold.
United States Constitution
With Shays' Rebellion of 1786, many were beginning to realize that a much more powerful central government was needed. In 1787 Sherman was called on to represent Connecticut in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The convention officially started on May 25th 1787. The goal of the convention was to simply fix the Articles of Confederation. Sherman was said to be one of the most vocal members at the convention.
One conflict that arose at the convention was state representation. Some argued that states with larger population should get more representatives in the new congress (Virginia Plan). Other states such as New Jersey favored the existing one vote per state policy under the Articles Of Confederation. Sherman is best known for his contributions to the Declaration with the Connecticut Compromise that he proposed. As a part of the Connecticut Compromise, congress would have two legislative bodies. One group was made up of one representative from each state, making smaller states happy. The other legislative group was made up of multiple representatives from each state, depending on population.
Relations
Sherman was considered a Federalist during his time. Federalists wanted a strong central government and supported the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Sherman was liked by many as a smart and honest person. Thomas Jefferson said "That is Mr. Sherman of Connecticut, a man who has NEVER SAID A FOOLISH THING in his life.” Hid best friend John Adams called him "one of the STRONGEST PILLARS of the revolution". William Pierce a fellow member of the convention from Georgia said “He deserves INFINITE PRAISE, no man has a better heart nor a clearer head. If he cannot embellish he can furnish thoughts that are wise and useful. He is an able politician, and extremely artful in accomplishing any particular object; it is remarked that he seldom fails". He also kept close with George Washington who would always visit Sherman's home when he was in New Haven.