Once the important compromises had been made and all of the details had been worked out, the convention appointed the Committee on Style and Arrangement to combine all of the ideas into a single document. On September 17, 1787, forty-two of the fifty-five delegates met together one last time. They gathered to consider the fruits of their labor. They assembled to sign the U.S. Constitution.

Benjamin Franklin, the oldest delegate and one of the most famous Americans of his time, urged all delegates in attendance to sign the document. Because it was the product of so many compromises, he admitted that the Constitution was not a perfect document. However, he firmly believed that it was the best that the convention could achieve given the diverse and passionate views expressed by the delegates. He also encouraged his fellow delegates to follow his lead in keeping their concerns to...