Committee of Detail Facts for Kids

The Committee of Detail was a special group created during the United States Constitutional Convention in 1787. Their job was to write the first draft of the U.S. Constitution. This draft included all the agreements the Convention had made so far, like the ideas from the Virginia Plan. The Convention took a break from July 26 to August 6, waiting for the Committee's report. Many parts of this first draft ended up in the final Constitution.

The Committee was led by John Rutledge. Other members were Edmund Randolph, Oliver Ellsworth, James Wilson, and Nathaniel Gorham. Even though more members were from larger states, the Committee had a good mix of people from different parts of the country. For example, Gorham was from Massachusetts (northern New England), Ellsworth from Connecticut (lower New England), Wilson from Pennsylvania (middle states), Randolph from Virginia (upper South), and Rutledge from South Carolina (lower South).

The Committee's report mostly followed the decisions made by the Convention. However, the members also added their own ideas to many parts. In some cases, they made big changes. For instance, they added the phrase "giving them aid and comfort" to the section about treason. This made the definition of treason much clearer and narrower. They also added the idea of an Electoral College for choosing the president.

To write their draft, the Committee looked at state constitutions, the Articles of Confederation, and other plans given to the Convention. The Constitution created a new kind of national government with shared powers. Many of its ideas came from old traditions like those in ancient Greece and Rome, and the British system of mixed government. The Declaration of Independence was also important. It reminded them of ideals like self-government and basic human rights. Ideas from thinkers like Montesquieu and John Locke were also very important. The Committee wanted to create a balanced government with checks and balances to protect the country's future.

We know about two early drafts of the Constitution, plus the final text given to the Convention. These were written by Wilson or Randolph.

Why the Committee Was Important

Randolph's words in the Committee's report are often used to explain why the Constitution was written to be flexible. This means it could adapt to new times and changes in society or technology.

He said that when writing a basic constitution, two things are important:

Only include the main ideas. This stops the government from getting stuck by rules that should change over time.
Use simple, clear language and general statements. This is like how the state constitutions were written.

This choice to use "simple and precise language, and general propositions" so the Constitution could "be accommodated to times and events" is often called the "genius" of the people who wrote it. It's a main reason why some people believe in the idea of a Living Constitution. This means the Constitution can be understood in new ways as society changes.

How the Committee Worked

The Committee didn't keep detailed notes of their meetings. But we know they used the original Virginia Plan, the Convention's decisions, and other sources to create the first full draft. This draft included many details, like powers for Congress, that hadn't been discussed before. Most of these were not argued about. So, much of what Rutledge's committee put in this first draft made it into the final Constitution without much debate. They mostly decided on things that were not likely to cause arguments.

Historian David Stewart said the Committee's work was "the most important single undertaking of the summer." He noted they had to be exact where agreements were clear and vague where they were not. He also said they had to draft missing parts, clear up confusing points, and make the whole thing fit together. Stewart called their draft a "remarkable cut-and-paste job." They copied parts from the Articles of Confederation, the Convention's decisions, and even Charles Pinckney's plan.

However, Stewart also argued that they did much more. They added things the Convention never discussed. They changed important agreements the delegates had already approved. Stewart believes that Rutledge and his committee "hijacked the constitution" and "remade it."

Except for Gorham, all the committee members were skilled lawyers. They would become important legal figures in the new government. They had all known each other from the Confederation Congress. There, they had seen how weak the government was. Except for Randolph, they were all in Congress when its money problems became very bad. They had already played big roles in the Convention. Randolph presented the Virginia Plan. Rutledge and Wilson helped create the compromise on how states would be represented. Ellsworth led the smaller states in the fight over how states would vote in the Senate. Gorham led the Committee of the Whole, where he asked for compromise during the tough debate about representation. Stewart said they were "more than merely active, they had been constructive." He also argued that "Rutledge knew what he wanted: a weaker central government," and that the draft showed his goals.

Since the Committee didn't keep records, their story is put together from three documents. These are an outline by Randolph with notes from Rutledge, detailed notes and a second draft by Wilson with notes from Rutledge, and the final report given to the Convention. Stewart believes these documents show that Randolph, Wilson, and Rutledge were the main writers. Randolph's outline started with two rules for drafting. First, the Constitution should only include essential ideas, avoiding small details that might change. Second, it should use simple and clear language. Wilson's draft included the first attempt at what would become the Preamble of the final document.

Starting with Randolph's outline, the Committee added many things the Convention had not discussed. But these additions were not likely to cause arguments. Examples include the speech and debate clause and rules for organizing the House and Senate. Three of the Committee's changes greatly reshaped the national government. The first change replaced a general grant of powers to Congress with a specific list of powers. This was because of Rutledge, who wanted a strong national government but not one with unlimited powers. Many of these eighteen specific powers came from the Articles of Confederation. By doing this, the Committee made the new national government one with limited powers, even though most delegates wanted more power.

Rutledge could not fully convince Wilson, who wanted a stronger national government and was not a fan of states' rights. So, Wilson changed the list of specific powers. He famously added the necessary and proper clause. He also made the supremacy clause stronger. These changes set the final balance between the national and state governments. This balance became part of the final document, and the Convention never challenged this shared power between the nation and states that Rutledge and Wilson created. The Committee's final report became the first working plan for the Constitution. Madison's Virginia Plan had only been an outline of goals and a general structure. Even after giving this report, the Committee continued to meet on and off until early September. More changes were made by the Convention and other committees.

On September 8, 1787, another group called the Committee of Style was formed. This committee had different members. Their job was to finalize and polish the actual words of the Constitution. This committee included William Samuel Johnson (Connecticut), Alexander Hamilton (New York), Gouverneur Morris (Pennsylvania), James Madison (Virginia), and Rufus King (Massachusetts).

Committee of Detail facts for kids

Why the Committee Was Important

How the Committee Worked

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