The First Congress faced a unique challenge, and those congressmen and senators who gathered in New York in the spring of 1789 were awed by what lay ahead of them. Not only would members of the Congress have to pass some promised amendments to the new Constitution, but they would have to fill out the bare framework of a government that the Philadelphia Convention had created, including the organization of the executive and judicial departments. Some therefore saw the First Congress as something in the nature of a second constitutional convention.
Cornwallis, Charles
Wilmington, NC — Built 1770 by John Burgwin, who was the colonial treasurer under the Royal Governor. General Lord Cornwallis rested here in 1781 prior to his march to Yorktown.
Yorktown, VA — Includes Cape Henry Memorial and Yorktown Battlefield.
Greensboro, NC — The 220-acre park commemorates the 1781 battle between British and Americans, led by General Nathanael Greene; includes 28 monuments.
Camden, SC — The 107-acre site includes the town of 18th century Camden, the Joseph Kershaw mansion — headquarters for Lord Cornwallis — and more. Fourteen battles of the Revolution were fought in the area.
Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (2009)