. ▁ ▁Congress ▁was ▁par al yz ed . ▁It ▁could ▁do ▁nothing ▁significant ▁without ▁nine ▁states , ▁and ▁some ▁legisl ation ▁required ▁all ▁th ir teen . ▁When ▁a ▁state ▁produced ▁only ▁one ▁member ▁in ▁attend ance , ▁its ▁vote ▁was ▁not ▁counted . ▁If ▁a ▁state ' s ▁deleg ation ▁was ▁even ly ▁divided , ▁its ▁vote ▁could ▁not ▁be ▁counted ▁towards ▁the ▁nine - count ▁requirement . ▁The ▁Congress ▁of ▁the ▁Confeder ation ▁had ▁" virt ually ▁ceased ▁trying ▁to ▁govern ". ▁The ▁vision ▁of ▁a ▁" res pect able ▁nation " ▁among ▁nations ▁seemed ▁to ▁be ▁f ading ▁in ▁the ▁eyes ▁of ▁revolution aries ▁such ▁as ▁George ▁Washington , ▁Benjamin ▁Franklin , ▁and ▁R uf us ▁King . ▁Their ▁dream ▁of ▁a ▁republic , ▁a ▁nation ▁without ▁her edit ary ▁r ul ers , ▁with ▁power ▁derived ▁from ▁the ▁people ▁in ▁frequent ▁elections , ▁was ▁in ▁doubt . ▁ ▁On ▁February ▁ 2 1 , ▁ 1 7 8 7 , ▁the ▁Confeder ation ▁Congress ▁called ▁a ▁convention ▁of ▁state ▁deleg ates ▁at ▁Philadelphia ▁to ▁propose ▁a ▁plan ▁of ▁government . ▁Un like ▁earlier ▁attempts , ▁the ▁convention ▁was ▁not ▁meant ▁for ▁new ▁laws ▁or ▁pie c eme al ▁alter ations , ▁but ▁for ▁the ▁" sole ▁and ▁express ▁purpose ▁of ▁revis ing ▁the ▁Articles ▁of ▁Confeder ation ". ▁The ▁convention ▁was ▁not ▁limited ▁to ▁commerce ; ▁rather , ▁it ▁was ▁intended ▁to ▁" render ▁the ▁federal ▁constitution ▁ade qu ate ▁to ▁the ▁ex igen cies ▁of ▁government ▁and