A More Perfect Union (film)

A More Perfect Union: America Becomes a Nation is a 1989 American feature film dramatizing the events of the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787. The film was produced by Brigham Young University to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the drafting of the United States Constitution, and many professors from BYU's School of Fine Arts and Communications were involved in its production either as actors or in other capacities. Directed by Peter N. Johnson. Written by Tim Slover. thumb|"'Tis done! We are a nation!" - James Madison (Click to enlarge Howard Chandler Christy’s famous depiction of the signing of the United States Constitution with George Washington [standing, right], and Madison, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton [sitting, center, right to left].) thumb|(Click to enlarge a "numbered figures" key to help identify each of the individuals in the above painting depicting the Constitution’s signing.) thumb|"This Great Compromise has created a new kind of nation . . . . Its national government is strong and sovereign, but it has states which are also strong. Separate states, but a united people." - James Madison (A painting of Madison at age 32; Madison was 36 during the Constitutional Convention.) thumb|"That we would [fail to address ongoing slavery in the United States] was a foregone conclusion, but it is a blight on our convention, and our country." - James Madison (as narrator) (Whipping scars on the back of Peter, an escaped enslaved man in 1863.) thumb|"Our first branch will be a new Congress. . . . Since our plan expands the powers of Congress, we will check that power by dividing it into two houses." - James Madison (A view of the US Capitol’s west front, with the House of Representatives on the right, in the South Wing, and the Senate on the left, in the North Wing.) thumb|"The people [in] all the states must be represented fairly, in proportion to their populations" - James Madison (Click to enlarge a photo of the US House of Representatives chamber. As of 2026 the House has 435 representatives in total; California has 52 and Wyoming has 1.) thumb|"It seems to me we have achieved a great deal at this Convention. . . . But now, it is time to compromise on the composition of the Senate." - George Washington (The United States Senate currently has 100 senators, two from each of the 50 states.) thumb|"[T]his convention has on this day, September 17th, 1787, voted to accept as its ruling document the Constitution of the United States. . . . Well, gentlemen, what remains for us to do is sign!" - George Washington (Click to enlarge a photo of the signed Constitution on display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives in Washington, DC.) __TOC__ Dialogue Prior to the Constitutional Convention (before May 25, 1787) Madison / Lee debate regarding Congress and trade James Madison: I have here a resolution which grants to the United States Congress of Confederation the power, finally, to regulate the trade of this country. Richard Henry Lee: Not again, Mr. Madison! . . . James Madison: Virginia does not regulate her [own] trade, sir, nor does any other state in the Union, Great Britain controls it! . . . George Mason: Indeed! We charge the British nothing for the privilege of trading with us. Meanwhile, they charge us huge tariffs! Richard Henry Lee: If the British regulate our trade abroad, Mr. Mason, let us, by all means, restrict theirs here. But as Virginians! Let us not empower Congress to join us with avaricious New Englanders. James Madison: What about avaricious Southerners? Our Southern state governments - indeed the state houses in every corner of the Union - reek with corruption! The result gentlemen: this nation becomes every day weaker, her borders threatened by Spain to the west [and by] Great Britain to the north. . . . The states must renounce their jealousies and give some power to a national government, otherwise, America will dissolve! Assault during Shays’s Rebellion (January 25, 1787) (The scene opens with Daniel Shays leading a column of armed farmers / tax protesters on a snowy road toward the federal armory in Springfield, Massachusetts; the forest on either side of the road is also blanketed with snow. Their path on the road ahead is blocked by a group of Massachusetts militiamen armed with muskets and cannons.) Daniel Shays: Keep to the road, the snow’s too deep! General William Shepard: (To the government artillery) Over their heads! Artillery commander: Gunners, sight your guns! . . . Gunner, fire 1! . . . Gunner, fire 2! (The rebels flinch as first one, then a second, cannon shot passes over their heads, but continue advancing undeterred.) General William Shepard: (To the artillery) Into their ranks! (To the infantry) Fire your muskets! (The scene ends by showing casualties within the rebel ranks.) Madison outlines the Virginia Plan (May, 1787) (The scene begins with the Virginia delegation seated around a table in a Philadelphia tavern shortly before the Convention officially convenes.) James Madison: Nothing less [than abolishing the Articles of Confederation] will work. The Articles give the states the right to act almost as independent countries. [Currently] each state has one vote, and nothing decided [in the Confederation Congress] is binding unless there is complete unanimity . . . which there never is . . . . James Madison: [T]his is the form that I propose for our new government. Instead of a single governing body, three branches in a truly national government. . . Our first branch will be a new Congress. . . . Since our plan expands the powers of Congress, we will check that power by dividing it into two houses . . . . (Here Madison pours the tea in his teacup - representing the Confederation Congress - into two glasses representing his proposed bicameral Congress.) [O]ur new Congress will make nationally binding laws. And so . . . the people [in] all the states must be represented fairly, in proportion to their populations. . . . There will also be an executive branch to enforce the laws Congress passes. (Madison pushes forward a wine glass to represent the executive branch.) Edmund Randolph: That wine goblet must be kept in check, lest it make itself a king. James Madison: And so it shall be, Governor, by Congress, and by this mug, which represents the judiciary branch, the courts of the land. . . . During the Constitutional Convention (May 25 to September 17, 1787) States in confederation versus a large federal republic James Madison: If it is true . . . that we are authorized only to amend the Articles of Confederation, then I say let us amend them out of existence. . . . Roger Sherman: Look, we’ve got to keep the states strong! Everybody knows it’s only in a small republic, like a state, that popular government works! . . . James Madison: Mr. Sherman, my research tells me that it is only in a large republic that good government is even possible. . . . [Currently is] there good government in Rhode Island? Elbridge Gerry: Rhode Island is too small. It’s always controlled by some faction or other. James Madison: Dr. Franklin, is there good government in Pennsylvania? Now, that’s a larger state. Benjamin Franklin: Indeed not, Mr. Madison. The Pennsylvania legislature is controlled by a faction . . . . James Madison: All societies are made up of warring factions. Rich against the poor. Religion against religion. Race against race. A small republic, like a state, too often falls prey to one of these factions. The result? Lawlessness and oppression. Especially against the minorities. It is only in a large republic with many different-minded people that no one faction can gain control. In such a republic, the liberties of all the people are naturally safeguarded. Slavery - importation ban, postponement of other issues John Rutledge: Gentlemen, our economies in the South bring great wealth to this nation. But we must be allowed to continue the importation of slaves! . . . George Mason: This is a moral issue . . . . Slavery will bring the judgment of heaven on this country! Mark my words! Roger Sherman: But Colonel Mason, you’re a slave owner yourself. . . . George Mason: I do not say that slavery can be abolished overnight. But its increase can. . . . John Rutledge: The entire South will stay out of the Union [over the slavery issue]. But, we are willing to compromise. I move that all importation of slaves cease after the year 1808, twenty years from now. This will give us adequate time to prepare for such a radical change in our economies. . . . James Madison: (As narrator) That we would [fail to address ongoing slavery in the United States] was a foregone conclusion, but it is a blight on our convention, and our country. Proportional representation controversy John Dickinson: If representation follows population, the large states will always control the legislature. Delaware’s voice will never be heard. . . . James Wilson: We are not talking about states, but people! Are not the citizens of Pennsylvania equal to those of Delaware? Does it require 150 of the former to balance 50 of the latter? . . . Roger Sherman: I’ve thought of a plan . . . . Let’s have the members of the lower house of the legislature be elected according to . . . population . . . . Then, in the upper house, the Senate, lets have each state with just . . . one vote and no more, just as we’ve got in the Congress now. . . . (This version of the Great / Connecticut / Sherman Compromise - proportional representation in the House and one vote per state in the Senate - is rejected by a non-binding vote while the delegates are assembled as the Committee of the Whole.) William Paterson: (While in a tavern meeting outside of the Convention with other small state delegates and their allies) I have been writing [a plan to counter the Virginia Plan]. It keeps most of the Articles of Confederation and gives us our fair vote in Congress. [Historical note: The "New Jersey Plan" - also called the "Paterson Plan" - required only amending the Articles of Confederation, not abolishing them. It also retained a unicameral legislature and the "one vote only" policy for each state. It was eventually rejected by the Convention, but it pulled the delegates toward accepting some compromises promoted by the smaller states.] Gunning Bedford: Mr. Madison insists that the large states will never hurt the small states if we give up our equality in the Senate! But I do not trust you sir! (Using his cane to point toward Madison’s table) . . . There are other recourses for the smaller states! We can find some foreign ally, someone of MORE HONOR AND GOOD FAITH WHO WILL TAKE US BY THE HAND AND DO US JUSTICE! . . . (Bedford’s threat causes other delegates to erupt into chaotic shouting and cries of "treason!") Benjamin Franklin: (Trying to calm things down after Gunning Bedford’s outburst) Gentlemen! Gentlemen! . . . How has it happened that we have forgotten to humbly implore the father of lights to illuminate our understanding? . . . God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall without his notice, is it probable that a great nation can rise without his aid? . . . [Historical note: After these comments Franklin moved that the Convention ask a local member of the clergy to offer morning prayers, but his proposal was not adopted.] Roger Sherman: (Following an adjournment, the Convention in general assembly holds a binding vote on another "one-vote-per-state-in-the-Senate" proposal. This vote results in a five-state-to-five-state tie.)'' Well, we’re at a place where we can’t move one way or another. Do we just go home and admit we failed? Let’s try a committee. Let’s have one delegate from each state get together and try to figure out a compromise. Washington urges Madison to compromise (Washington invites Madison to attend an outdoor, evening musical concert with him, and Madison accepts.) George Washington: It seems to me we have achieved a great deal at this Convention. As the architect of the Virginia Plan, you are to be congratulated. . . . But now, it is time to compromise on the composition of the Senate. James Madison: Never! It’s inequitable! . . . George Washington: [Even though you have a majority supporting proportional representation in the Senate,] a simple majority is not enough! What we need, Mr. Madison, is consensus among us, harmony. . . . You persuaded me to come to this convention. Well, here I am, Mr. Madison! And I will not see this convention crumble around me because the brightest and stubbornest of us will not yield the Senate to the states! James Madison: It is not only me sir. You heard Mr. Wilson say that Pennsylvania will not confederate on the "one-vote-one-state" principle. George Washington: Pennsylvania? Let Pennsylvania take care of itself! (Washington points to another table where Benjamin Franklin is talking in an animated way to a reluctant James Wilson.) I’m very fond of this music. It is so harmonious. The Great Compromise James Wilson: The small states are fixed. We must yield on the representation issue. Benjamin Franklin: Mmmm. At last. Someone sees the truth of the matter. The small states have compromised, Gentlemen. Now we must. . . . James Madison: Judge Wilson and Dr. Franklin are correct. . . . This Great Compromise has created a new kind of nation, one such as I had never considered. Its national government is strong and sovereign, but it has states which are also strong. Separate states, but a united people. It is neither man nor horse, but like the centaur, half of each. I don’t know whether such a creature can survive in the rough and tumble of the world, but I am willing to make the hazard. I am for the Compromise. I am for the United States of America. James Madison:(As narrator) When the compromise report of the Grand Committee was approved, a key issue of the Convention was decided. During the next eight hot, humid weeks, the [Convention] debated, amended and approved the other resolutions of the Virginia Plan in general assembly [resulting in a Constitution that was ready for a final, binding vote in mid-September]. The Constitution is signed, refusal of three delegates foreshadows a Bill of Rights (On September 17, 1787, George Washington presides over the Convention’s official vote, asking each state with a delegation present to accept or reject the finalized version of the Constitution. When Washington gets to Virginia, George Mason and Edmund Randolph surprise the Convention and join Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts by refusing to sign.) [Historical note: The movie compresses history slightly for dramatic effect. In historical fact, two days previously on September 15th, all eleven remaining state delegations had approved the Constitution and Mason, Randolph and Gerry had reiterated that they would not sign as individuals. The primary question on the 17th was whether the three hold-out delegates could be persuaded to sign.] Edmund Randolph: Virginia votes aye [to accept the Constitution]; Colonel Mason is excepted. James Madison: (Disturbed) Colonel Mason? George Mason: Mr. President . . . I feel duty bound to say that I would sooner chop off my right hand than put it to the Constitution as it now stands. . . . There is no declaration of rights in this document! . . . I feel that such a bill could be prepared in a few hours. . . . [G]enerations of Americans yet unborn will look back to us for protection of their rights. We must not fail them! . . . Edmund Randolph: Mr. President, I also except myself. James Madison: (Very disturbed) What? . . . Edmund Randolph: I have many reservations . . . . I know I am taking a step which may be the most awful of my life. But it is dictated by my conscience. . . . George Washington: (After all the eleven present state delegations have voted and the Constitution is approved) [T]his convention has on this day, September 17th, 1787, voted to accept as its ruling document the Constitution of the United States. . . . Well, gentlemen, what remains for us to do is sign! (Laughter) Washington is sworn in as president (April 30, 1789) Robert Livingston: (Standing with Washington on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City) You may take the oath! George Washington: I solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Robert Livingston: Long live George Washington, President of the United States! James Madison: (Shaking Washington's hand) 'Tis done! We are a nation! Cast Craig Wasson - James Madison Michael McGuire - George Washington Fredd Wayne - Benjamin Franklin Morgan White - George Mason Douglas Seale - Lord Carmarthen Bruce Newbold - Edmund Randolph James Walsh - James Wilson Ivan Crosland - John Adams H.E.D. Redford - Roger Sherman Jesse Bennett - John Dickinson Roderick Cook - Nathaniel Gorham Derryl Yeager - Alexander Hamilton James Arrington - Gouverneur Morris Steve Anderson - Elbridge Gerry Dick Cheatham - Williams Richard Dutcher - Charles Pinckney Bruce Eaton - Richard Henry Lee Vince O'Neil - John Langdon Marvin Payne - Rufus King Scott Wilkinson - Thomas Jefferson Lael Woodbury - George Wythe Scott Bronson - Robert Morris Fred Laycock - Caleb Strong Wayne Brennan - Oliver Ellsworth Dave Blackwell - Robert Livingston Quotes about A More Perfect Union [The movie A More Perfect Union is] of exceptional merit. The Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, a congressionally-created commission which coordinated nationwide commemorations during the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. The Commission was active from 1985 to 1992. See also The Articles of Confederation - Full text of the first United States governing document; in effect from March 1, 1781 to March 4, 1789. Original Virginia Plan - Full text of the plan presented by Edmund Randolph on May 29, 1787, during the Convention’s first week. New Jersey Plan - Full text of the "small state" plan presented by William Paterson to the Convention on June 15th. Virginia Plan as modified by the Great Compromise - Resolutions adopted on July 26th giving the populous states more representatives in the House of Representatives and all states an equal number of representatives in the Senate. Draft Version of the Constitution - The Convention’s rough draft of the Constitution as it existed on August 6th after more than two months of negotiation and debate. Constitution of the United States - Complete text of the final Constitution signed by 39 of the 42 then-present delegates on September 17, 1787. Federalist No. 10 - Full text of James Madison's highly-regarded Federalist essay discussing how large republics can help control the effects of faction. The United States Bill of Rights (1789 version) - Passed by the new Congress on September 25, 1789 with twelve articles. Ten were ratified by the states in 1791 and constitute the first ten amendments to the Constitution. External links 0300212 The National Constitution Center US National Archives - The Constitution Independence National Historical Park - Day-by-day notes from the Constitutional Convention Category:1989 American films Category:1989 English-language films Category:Films directed by Peter N. Johnson Category:American historical films Category:Political drama films Category:Films set in the 1780s