David+Brearly-2

Sarah Carten

How long have we been using the same system of government? The U.S.Constitution we signed by 55 delegates in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Before this there was the Constitutional Convention which was the 55 delegates rewriting and fix the government for the better of the country. The convention was held from May 25 to September 17, 1787 and was held in the Pennsylvania State House. At the convention George Washington was named president unanimously.

Brearly was born in Spring Grove, NJ. There isn’t a lot known about his upbringing, so there is no way of knowing if and how this affected his role at the constitutional convention. Before becoming a delegate of New Jersey, Brearly practiced law in Allentown, NJ. This was after attending from the College of New Jersey, which was later to be Princeton. Brearly also took part in the American Revolutionary War. He was a captain of the Monmouth County militia, and he rose to the rank of colonel in Nathaniel Head’s NJ militia brigade. From 1776 to 1779 Brearly served in the New Jersey Line of the Continental Army, he saw action in Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. Brearly resigned from the army in 1779 to serve as New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice, and he held this seat until 1789.
 * Background Information**

At the convention Brearly was on the Third Committee of Representation, he was a chair on the Committee on Postponed Matters, and he was the Chairman of the Committee of Leftovers, which was commonly known as the Brearly Committee. Because he was the Chairman of the Committee of Leftovers he was very influential in making the Electoral College. William Pierce said of him that “as an Orator he has little to boast of, but as a Man he has every virtue to recommend him.” This speaks very highly of Brearly’s character.

BREARLY ATTENDANCE CHART This is a chart showing David Brearly’s attendance record for the Constitutional Convention. He was definitely present 67 out of 89 days and this is 75% of the total time. He was also probably present 16 out of the 89 days, which is 18%. Combined he was (most likely) present 83 out of 89 days, which is 93%. Brearly was probably very dedicated and he was evidently very involved in the Constitution.
 * || Present || Absent || Don'tKnow || Probably Present || Probably Absent ||
 * Act1 || 16 || 1 || 0 || 5 || 0 ||
 * Act2 || 18 || 1 || 0 || 7 || 4 ||
 * Act3 || 20 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 0 ||
 * Act4 || 13 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 ||
 * Total || 67 || 2 || 0 || 16 || 4 ||
 * % || 75% || 2% || 0% || 18% || 5% ||



__Work Cited:__

"David Brearley." //Constitution Society Home Page//. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. []. "Philadelphia Convention." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. []. "Delegates to the Constitutional Convention:David Brearly." //TeachingAmericanHistory.org -- Free Seminars and Summer Institutes for Social Studies Teachers//. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. []. "AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION." //PATRIOTS HOME//. Web. 04 May 2010. []. "RossRights.com." //Georgetown University's Law School: Georgetown Law, the Center for International Legal Studies.// Web. 04 May 2010. [].