Elizabeth Ryan

America’s leaders meet at a convention in Philadelphia and decide to write a radical new Constitution. Ben Franklin, in his final moment on the world stage, helps forge the “Great Compromise” on legislative representation. James Madison writes much of the Constitution, the lawful embodiment of the promise of the Revolution (9/17/87). It includes the “odious compromise” on slavery that maintains the practice’s legality in the United States. George Washington is inaugurated as the first President (4/30/1789). Moses resolves to open a school for free black children. Sarah’s father joins the family from Ohio. Everyone looks forward to their new lives in the United States of America.