Letter from William William Paterson to Euphemia Paterson (1787)

by William Paterson
  • July 02, 1787
Image: William Patterson. Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-first-president/george-washington-and-the-supreme-court/#g-117_m-william-paterson-copy
How does Paterson’s letter reflect the comings and goings of delegates, and what might this suggest about the nature of the Convention proceedings during this period? Is it unusual for delegates to arrive or leave during such a critical phase of the proceedings? Why or why not?
Paterson’s letter was written shortly after the Connecticut Compromise was proposed. Considering New Jersey’s opposition to the Virginia Plan, why might Paterson still express feelings of difficulty and frustration about the Convention, despite the compromise’s potential to ease tensions and end the stalemate?

 

Constitutional Convention

“William Paterson to Euphemia Paterson,” July 2, 1787. In Supplement to Max Farrand's The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, edited by James H. Hutson. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987. https://consource.org/document/william-paterson-to-euphemia-paterson-1787-7-2/20130122084150/

The Burlington court did not continue as long as I expected. I arrived here on Friday last, about 10 o'clock at night.

This letter will be handed to you by the Gov'r [Livingston]1, who will set out tomorrow. It is impossible to say when the Convention will rise; much remains to be done, and the work is full of labour and difficulty...

Footnotes
  1. 1. William Livingston (1723-1790), first governor of New Jersey and delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
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