Roger Sherman: Compromiser of the Constitutional Convention

Profiles in history: An ongoing series of lesser known but significant figures who shaped our world

Early American patriot Roger Sherman played a big role in the founding of America. “Foundation of the American Government,” 1925, by John Henry Hintermeister. Osborne Company. Roger Sherman is closest behind Governor Morris, who is signing the Constitution. (Public Domain)

This early American patriot was not known as an eloquent speaker, but Thomas Jefferson once said that he was “a man who never said a foolish thing in his life.”

Although he received little recognition during his life, Roger Sherman would become known as the only Founding Father to sign four key documents of our founding—the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.

Born in Massachusetts, Sherman moved his family and launched his legal career in Connecticut. Sherman received no formal schooling but educated himself from the books in his father’s library. He passed the bar in 1754 and held several positions in local government, including town clerk and county surveyor.

Sherman was known to be very religious as his Puritan faith was dear to him. At one point he disagreed with the appointment of Governor Morris as minister to France because Morris was of an “irreligious nature.” Sherman also published theological tracts, such as “A Short Sermon on the Duty of Self-Examination Preparatory to Receiving the Lord’s Supper.”

Portrait of Roger Sherman, 1775, by Ralph Earl. Yale University Art Gallery. (Public Domain)

In 1774, he became a member of the First Continental Congress. There, he signed the Continental Association, which placed a boycott on British trade, and he agreed that the American colonies should separate from England. He also was against slavery from the nation’s beginnings.

Sherman then was a part of the Second Continental Congress where he was appointed to the Committee of Five, with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson, that drafted the Declaration of Independence. Later, he became a member of a committee of 13 men who were tasked with drafting a constitution for the new nation.

While on the committee, Sherman staunchly stood up for the rights of small states. Hailing from Connecticut, he brought up the idea of having a bicameral legislature where small states would have an equal representation as large states. In the end, the 13-member committee disagreed. Instead, the group agreed upon adopting a unicameral legislature that would eventually become the Articles of Confederation.

The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull (1819) depicts the Committee of Five presenting its work to Congress. Sherman is second from the left. U.S. Capitol Rotunda. (Public Domain)

Shortly after its passage, problems with the Articles of Confederation became apparent. Under the Articles, the central government was weak and most of the power lay with the states.

States didn’t respect the congress, which made it difficult to regulate trade, raise funds, or conduct foreign policy. The economy suffered because the congress didn’t have the power to regulate commerce or enforce tax laws. According to  “Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787”: “The problem with the old government was not that it had acted foolishly or threatened anybody’s liberties, but that it had simply been unable to enforce its decrees.”

Sherman joined the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to fix the problems with the Articles of Confederation. He fought for the rights of small states, but realized that if he was to succeed, he knew he would have to negotiate. Sherman attended every session of the convention and made his voice heard. According to James Madison’s notes, Sherman delivered 183 speeches.

The Committee of Five, including Roger Sherman, is depicted on the pediment of the Jefferson Memorial in a sculpture by Adolph Alexander Weinman. (Another Believer /CC BY-SA 3.0)

Large states wanted congressional representation based on population. Smaller states like Connecticut wanted equal representation regardless of size. The convention soon became deadlocked. Sherman would become known as one of the representatives who saved the day. He proposed the Connecticut Compromise (Great Compromise) that offered a solution in the form of a bicameral legislature. His solution was eventually agreed upon when the U.S. Constitution was drafted.

In 1789, Sherman was elected a U.S. Representative in the first Congress of the new nation. In 1791, he represented Connecticut as a senator. He served in the Senate until he passed away in his sleep from typhoid in 1793 at 72 years old.