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55-430: The Joseph Webb House is the museum's main headquarters and has been restored to a late 18th-century appearance. There is a Colonial Revival garden out back and a 19th-century barn. The Silas Deane House has been restored to a mid-18th-century appearance. The Isaac Stevens House has been restored to reflect a middle-class family of the 1820s-1830s using many original family items. The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum also manages

110-689: A unicameral legislature and what would become the Articles of Confederation. As a member of the Confederation Congress , Sherman was a signatory of the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War . Sherman came into the Convention without the intention of creating a new constitution. He saw the convention as a means to modify the already existing government. Part of his stance was concerned with

165-454: A favorable crisis for crushing paper money. If the consent of the Legislature could authorize emissions of it, the friends of paper money would make every exertion to get into the Legislature in order to license it." Sherman also had very little interest in creating an executive branch with much authority. He suggested that no constitutional provision needed be made for the executive because it

220-523: A funeral sermon at the ceremony for Sherman on July 25, 1793. He praised his contributions to his friends, family, town, and country, noting Sherman's piety and excellence in study. Sherman is especially notable in United States history for being the only person to sign all four great state papers of the United States, the Articles of Association, the United States Declaration of Independence,

275-749: A justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766 to 1789. He represented Connecticut at the Continental Congress , and he was a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. Sherman served as a delegate to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention , which produced the United States Constitution. After Benjamin Franklin , he was the second oldest delegate present at

330-630: A long and bitter dispute over the charges, Deane was defended before Congress by John Jay . He published a public defense in the December 5, 1778, issue of Pennsylvania Packet entitled The Address of Silas Deane to the Free and Virtuous Citizens of America , in which he attacked Arthur Lee, other members of the Lee family , and their associates. Arthur's brothers Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee both denounced Deane's accusations as libelous and injurious to

385-477: A pivotal delegate at the Convention because of his role in settling the debate over representation. At important moments in the deliberations, Sherman consistently pushed the interests of the less populous states. When delegates were unable to reconcile the differences between his plan and Madison's Virginia Plan, Sherman helped to get the issue of representation in Congress delegated to a Grand Committee of which he

440-461: A planned canal linking Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River . In 1784, he published a defense of his actions during the war entitled An Address to the Free and Independent Citizens of the United States of North America . In the fall of 1787, Deane became bedridden from an unknown illness and did not fully recover until April 1789. His condition depleted his remaining money and forced him to depend on

495-524: A secret envoy to France with the mission of inducing the French government to grant financial aid to the colonies. He began negotiating with French Foreign Minister Comte de Vergennes as soon as he arrived in Paris. Deane organized the shipment of arms and munitions to the colonies with the assistance of Pierre Beaumarchais , the playwright and outspoken supporter of American independence. Deane also tacitly approved

550-745: A spy as a member of the Culper Ring , and unbeknownst to Deane, his former secretary in Paris, Edward Bancroft , had been a British spy. In October 1781, Deane moved to Ghent where he could live more cheaply than in Paris. Then in March 1783, he moved to London, hoping to find investors for manufacturing ventures that he planned to pursue after he returned to North America. He toured several manufacturing towns in England in late 1783, considering plans for steam engines that could operate grist mills, even consulting James Watt for advice. He also tried to attract investors for

605-753: A warship. Louis XVI also presented Deane with a portrait framed with diamonds, and both Vergennes and Franklin wrote letters of commendation. Deane arrived in Philadelphia on July 14, 1778, and was shocked when Congress accused him of financial impropriety on the basis of reports by his fellow commissioner Arthur Lee. Because Deane had left his account books in Paris, he was neither able to properly defend himself nor seek reimbursement for money he had spent procuring supplies in France. (While he waited to address Congress, Deane stayed with Benedict Arnold , who had just been appointed military governor of Philadelphia.) In

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660-527: A way to raise revenue and regulate commerce. Sherman's views were heavily shaped by Connecticut's position as a particularly isolationist state. Connecticut operated almost without much need from other states, using its own ports to trade with the West Indies instead of utilizing ports in Boston , and feared that "...the mass of people lacked sufficient wisdom to govern themselves and thus wished no branch of

715-473: Is one of the most influential members of the Constitutional Convention. He is not well known for his actions at the Convention because he was a "terse, ineloquent speaker" who never kept a personal record of his experience, unlike other prominent figures. At 66 years of age, Sherman was the second eldest member at the convention following Benjamin Franklin (who was 81 years old at the time). Yet he

770-606: The Silas Deane House , has been restored, declared a National Historic Landmark , and opened to the public as a part of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum . Dean Street in Brooklyn is named for him. Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an early American statesman , lawyer , and a Founding Father of the United States . He is the only person to sign all four great state papers of

825-512: The American cause. On January 14, 1779, Deane replied in the Pennsylvania Packet, listing eight ships that had sailed from France with supplies because of his efforts. Congress offered him $ 10,000 in depreciated Continental currency in compensation, but Deane refused, believing the amount too small. Deane was allowed to return to Paris in 1780 to settle his affairs and attempt to assemble

880-472: The Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Robert Morris , who did not sign the Articles of Association, signed the other three. John Dickinson also signed three, the Continental Association, the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He was involved with the Declaration of Independence but abstained, hoping for a reconciliation with Britain. Sherman

935-565: The Constitutional Convention. Therefore, Sherman helped shape compromises that benefited the slave states in order to obtain unlikely allies from the Carolinas due to the economies of their home states. Sherman is also known for his stance against paper money with his authoring of Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution and his later opposition to James Madison over the Bill of Rights . He believed that these amendments would diminish

990-623: The Continental Association to impose an economic boycott on all British trade. In the Second Continental Congress , Sherman was appointed to the Committee of Five that drafted Declaration of Independence. Sherman was also a member of the committee of 13 that was responsible for preparing a draft constitution for the new nation. During debate, Sherman proposed a bicameral national legislature where states would be represented equally. The committee of 13 rejected Sherman's proposal, adopting

1045-519: The House of Representatives (the lower legislative house ). The states would be represented in another house called the Senate (the upper house ). In the lower house, each state had a representative for every one delegate. In the upper house, each state was guaranteed two senators, regardless of its size. In terms of modes of election, Sherman supported allowing each state legislature to elect its own senators. In

1100-586: The House, Sherman originally proposed that the suffrage of the House should be figured according to the "numbers of free inhabitants" in each state. Sherman was elected as a United States Representative in the First Congress , and then to the Senate in the Second and Third Congress until his death in 1793. In 1790 both Sherman and Richard Law were appointed to revise the confused and archaic Connecticut statutes, which they accomplished. Throughout his life, Sherman

1155-470: The Treaties of Amity and Commerce and of Alliance , officially creating the alliance between France and the American colonies. On March 4, 1778, Deane received a letter from James Lovell containing the recall order from Congress. Lovell only mentioned giving a report to Congress about European affairs, and Deane fully expected to be sent back to Paris within a few months. France sent Deane back home aboard

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1210-541: The United States ( Philadelphia ), August 17, 1793, p. 508, reported an alternate diagnosis, "He was taken ill about the middle of May last, and from that time declined till his death. His physician supposed his disorder to be seated in his liver." He was buried in New Haven Green . In 1821, when that cemetery was relocated, his remains were moved to the Grove Street Cemetery . Jonathan Edwards Jr. gave

1265-899: The United States: the Continental Association , the Declaration of Independence , the Articles of Confederation , and the Constitution . He also signed the 1774 Petition to the King . Born in Newton, Massachusetts, Sherman established a legal career in Litchfield County, Connecticut , despite a lack of formal education. After a period in the Connecticut House of Representatives , he served as

1320-673: The approval of both the more and less populous states. After the ratification of the Constitution, Sherman represented Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives from 1789 to 1791. He served in the United States Senate from 1791 to his death in 1793. Sherman was born into a family of farmers in Newton, Massachusetts . His parents were William and Mehetabel Sherman. The Shermans left Newton and settled in what became

1375-586: The charity of friends. In the summer of 1788, a Frenchman named Foulloy approached Thomas Jefferson in Paris with an account book and a letter book dating from Deane's diplomatic mission, apparently stolen from Deane during his illness. Foulloy threatened to sell the books to the British government if Jefferson did not purchase them—which Jefferson eventually did after negotiating a greatly reduced price. In 1789, Deane planned to return to North America in an attempt to recoup his lost fortune and reputation. After boarding

1430-709: The committee work of Congress, helping to coordinate the attack on Fort Ticonderoga and to establish the United States Navy . A dispute arose between Deane and fellow Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman over the appointment of Israel Putnam as a major general under George Washington's command. This dispute led the Connecticut legislature to replace Deane as a delegate to Congress; but instead of returning to Connecticut, Deane remained in Philadelphia to assist Congress. On March 2, 1776, Congress appointed Deane as

1485-467: The convention. Sherman favored granting the federal government power to raise revenue and regulate commerce, but initially opposed efforts to supplant the Articles of Confederation with a new constitution. After supporting the establishment of a new constitution, Sherman became a key delegate and main opponent of James Madison 's Virginia Plan by introducing the Connecticut Compromise that won

1540-587: The end of the war, Congress charged Deane with financial impropriety, and the British intercepted and published some letters in which he had implied that the American cause was hopeless. After the war, Deane lived in Ghent and London and died under mysterious circumstances while attempting to return to America. Deane was born on January 4, 1738 [ O.S. December 24, 1737] in Groton, Connecticut , to blacksmith Silas Deane and his wife Hannah Barker. The younger Silas

1595-410: The federal government to be elected directly by the people". His views were also influenced by his personal beliefs and Puritan views. Sherman opposed slavery and used the issue as a tool for negotiation and alliance. He believed that slavery was already gradually being abolished and the trend was moving southward. Sherman saw that the issue of slavery could be one that threatened the success of

1650-541: The king read intercepted letters in which Deane described the military situation of the Colonies as hopeless and suggested a rapprochement with Britain. Deane's correspondence was then forwarded to General Henry Clinton , who provided copies to Loyalist James Rivington to publish in his newspaper Rivington's Royal Gazette in New York City. Deane was then accused of treason by his fellow colonists. Rivington may have been

1705-644: The nearby 1715 Buttolph–Williams House which is owned by Connecticut Landmarks . The interior features rare 17th- and early 18th-century antiques and was the setting for Elizabeth George Speare ’s Newbery Medal -winning novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1958). The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums . 41°42′43″N 72°39′11″W  /  41.71204°N 72.65311°W  / 41.71204; -72.65311 Silas Deane Silas Deane (January 4, 1738 [ O.S. December 24, 1737] – September 23, 1789)

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1760-559: The plot of Scotsman James Aitken (John the Painter) to destroy Royal Navy stores and dockyards in Portsmouth and Plymouth , England, on behalf of the Continental cause. Deane's position was officially recognized after Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee arrived in Paris in December 1776, with orders from Congress appointing the trio as the diplomatic delegation to France. Deane recruited

1815-425: The public appeal. He defended amending the articles declaring that it was in the best interest of the people and the most probable way the people would accept changes to a constitution. "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 advanced the idea that the national government simply needed

1870-420: The records in dispute. On arrival, he discovered that he was nearly ruined financially because the value of his investments had plummeted, and some ships carrying his merchandise had been captured by the British. In March 1781, King George III approved a request from Lord North to bribe Deane in an attempt to recruit him as a spy and to influence Congress. However, in mid-July they cancelled their plan after

1925-482: The rights of conscience, and may promise to the whole people, solemnly in our name, the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion. And ... that all civil rights and the rights to hold office were to be extended to persons of any Christian denomination." In 1784, Sherman was elected mayor of New Haven, which office he held until his death. As a member of the First Continental Congress , Sherman signed

1980-461: The role and power of the states over the people. Mr. Wilson & Mr. Sherman moved to insert after the words "coin money" the words "nor emit bills of credit, nor make any thing but gold & silver coin a tender in payment of debts" making these prohibitions absolute, instead of making the measures allowable (as in the XIII art) with the consent of the Legislature of the U.S. ... Mr. Sherman thought this

2035-474: The services of several foreign soldiers to the cause, including Marquis de Lafayette , Baron Johann de Kalb , Thomas Conway , Casimir Pulaski , and Baron von Steuben . For a variety of reasons, many of the foreign officers were unpopular in America, and many in Congress blamed Deane for their behavior, leading them to recall him on December 8, 1777. On February 6, 1778, Deane and the other commissioners signed

2090-563: The settlement of her first husband's estate. They had one son, Jesse, born in 1764. Mehitable died in 1767. In 1770, Deane married Elizabeth (Saltonstall) Evards, granddaughter of Connecticut Governor Gurdon Saltonstall of the Massachusetts Saltonstall family . Elizabeth died in 1777 while Silas was in France. Both Mehitable and Elizabeth were buried in the Old Wethersfield Village Cemetery . In 1768, Deane

2145-477: The shared opinion that the elected composition of the national government should be reserved for the vote of state officials and not for election by the will of the people. Sherman was wary of allowing ordinary citizen participation in national government and stated that the people "should have as little to do as may be about the Government. They want information and are constantly liable to be misled". While Sherman

2200-441: The ship Boston Packet, he became ill and died on September 23 while the ship was awaiting repairs after turning back following damage from fierce winds. In 1959, historian Julian P. Boyd suggested that Deane might have been poisoned by Bancroft, because Bancroft might have felt threatened by Deane's possible testimony to Congress. Silas Deane's granddaughter Philura (Deane) Alden pressed his case before Congress, and his family

2255-470: The states, which was supported by the New Jersey Plan introduced by William Paterson that Sherman helped author. Sherman saw no reason for bicameralism. He defended the unicameral legislature of the Articles of Confederation by stating that the more populous states had not "suffered at the hands of less populous states on account of the rule of equal voting". Sherman, Elbridge Gerry and others were of

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2310-592: The town of Stoughton, Massachusetts 17 miles (27 km) southeast of his home in Newton, when Roger was two. Sherman's education did not extend beyond his father's library and grammar school, and his early career was spent as a shoemaker. However, he had an aptitude for learning, access to a good library owned by his father, and a Harvard -educated parish minister, Rev. Samuel Dunbar, who took him under his wing. In 1743, his father's death led to Sherman moving with his mother and siblings to New Milford, Connecticut . There, in partnership with his brother William, he opened

2365-416: The town's first store, a cobbler shop. He earned a position as the county surveyor in 1745. The income from this office enabled him to buy land and to earn a favorable reputation throughout the county. Sherman published a series of almanacs between 1750 and 1761. He also studied law on his own, passing the bar in 1754. He very quickly introduced himself in civil and religious affairs, rapidly becoming one of

2420-790: The town's leading citizens and eventually town clerk of New Milford. He became county surveyor of New Haven County in 1745 and began providing astronomical calculations for almanacs in 1759. Sherman was married two times and had a total of fifteen children, with thirteen reaching adulthood. Sherman married Elizabeth Hartwell (born August 31, 1726, in Stoughton, Massachusetts ) on November 17, 1749. Elizabeth died on October 19, 1760. Sherman married Rebecca (also spelled Rebekah) Prescott (born on May 20, 1742, in Danvers, Massachusetts ) on May 12, 1763, and had eight children: Rebecca, Elizabeth, Roger, Mehetabel (1st), Mehetabel (2nd), Oliver, Martha and Sarah. Sherman

2475-517: Was "nothing more than an institution for carrying the will of the Legislature into effect". Two proposed options for the formation of the legislative branch emerged in the deliberations. One was to form a bicameral legislature in which both chambers had representation proportional to the population of the states, which was supported by the Virginia Plan. The second was to modify the unicameral legislature that had equal representation from all of

2530-453: Was a 5th cousin 3 times removed of Union general William Tecumseh Sherman . Despite the fact that Sherman had no formal legal training, he was urged to read for the bar exam by a local lawyer and was admitted to the bar of Litchfield, Connecticut in 1754, during which he wrote "A Caveat Against Injustice" and was chosen to represent New Milford in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1755 to 1758 and from 1760 to 1761. Sherman

2585-419: Was a devout supporter of a unicameral legislature, he recognized that this goal was unattainable because it would not receive the support of the more populous states. With the aide of Oliver Ellsworth , Sherman repeatedly proposed a bicameral compromise where one house had representation proportional to the population, and the other had equal representation for the states. Some scholars have identified Sherman as

2640-435: Was a major benefactor of Yale College , acting as the university's treasurer for many years and promoting construction of a college chapel. Sherman opposed appointment of fellow signer Gouverneur Morris as minister to France because he considered that high-living Patriot to be of an "irreligious nature". Sherman died in his sleep on July 23, 1793, after a two-month illness diagnosed as typhoid fever . The Gazette of

2695-545: Was able to obtain a full scholarship to Yale and graduated in 1758. In April 1759, he was hired to tutor a young Edward Bancroft in Hartford, Connecticut . In 1761, Deane was admitted to the bar and practiced law for a short time outside of Hartford before moving to Wethersfield, Connecticut , and establishing a thriving business as a merchant. Deane married twice, both times to wealthy widows from Wethersfield. In 1763, he married Mehitable (Nott) Webb after assisting her with

2750-527: Was also appointed treasurer of Yale College , and awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree. He was a professor of religion for many years, and engaged in lengthy correspondences with some of the theologians of the time. During February 1776, Sherman, George Wythe , and John Adams were members of a committee responsible for establishing guidelines for U.S. Embassy officials in Canada with the committee instructions that included, "You are to declare that we hold sacred

2805-489: Was an American merchant, politician, and diplomat, and a supporter of American independence. Deane served as a delegate to the Continental Congress , where he signed the Continental Association , and then became the first foreign diplomat from the United States to France, where he helped negotiate the 1778 Treaty of Alliance that allied France with the United States during the American Revolutionary War . Near

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2860-595: Was appointed justice of the peace in 1762 and judge of the court of common pleas in 1765. During 1766, Sherman was first elected to the Governor's Council of the Connecticut General Assembly , where he served until 1785. From 1784 to 1785, he also served as a judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors . Sherman served as Justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766 to 1789. Sherman

2915-549: Was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives ; in 1769, he was appointed to the Wethersfield Committee of Correspondence; and from 1774 to 1776, he served as a delegate from Connecticut to the Continental Congress . While a member of Congress, Deane used his influence to obtain a commission in the Continental Army for his stepson Samuel B. Webb, who had accompanied him to Philadelphia . Deane excelled in

2970-614: Was eventually paid $ 37,000 in 1841 (more than a million dollars in the early 21st century) for the money owed to him, on the grounds that the previous audit by the Continental Congress was "ex parte, erroneous, and a gross injustice to Silas Deane". Deane's hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut, has a Silas Deane Middle School and a Silas Deane Highway . A road in Ledyard, Connecticut , is named for him. Deane's home in Wethersfield, now

3025-460: Was not only a member but whose membership was sympathetic to the views of the less populous states. The plan that emerged from the Grand Committee, originally introduced by Sherman, and which known as became the Connecticut Compromise , was designed to be acceptable to both the more and less populous states: the people would be represented proportionally in one branch of the legislature, called

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