a gathering to draw up a constitution, specif. that in Philadelphia in 1787 of representatives from each of the former Colonies, except Rhode Island, at which the Constitution of the United States was framed
The gathering that drafted the Constitution of the United States in 1787; all states were invited to send delegates. The convention, meeting in Philadelphia, designed a government with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. It established Congress as a lawmaking body with two houses: each state is given two representatives in the Senate, whereas representation in the House of Representatives is based on population.