Commentary
Unlike the other Founders profiled in this series, John Adams of Massachusetts didn’t attend the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He was America’s ambassador to England when the convention met, and he didn’t return home until the ratification process was well underway. His contribution was in laying the groundwork for the Constitution, both when in Massachusetts and when abroad.
Constitution-drafting is a three-step process, although in practice the steps often overlap:
Step 1: Identify the goal of the prospective constitution and the principles that will govern it.
Step 2: Determine the general outline of a government that achieves the goals, is consistent with the principles, and is acceptable to the citizenry….