Which description best defines the Framers of the U.S. Constitution?

• A. A group of state leaders who drafted the U.S. Constitution.
• B. Senior military officers who advised on constitutional matters.
• C. A group of delegates who drafted the U.S. Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787.
• D. The citizens who approved the Constitution through ratification.

Answer: (C)

Framers were the delegates who drafted the U.S. Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787. They were elected by the states to meet and revise the Articles of Confederation, but they ended up creating a new framework for the national government. This describes their actual role and setting: they gathered in Philadelphia to shape the structure of government, including how power would be divided, how representatives would be chosen, and how the Constitution could be amended. It’s not about military advisors, and it’s not about ordinary citizens who later approved the document through ratification. The description that emphasizes delegates who drafted the Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention best captures who the Framers were and what they did.