Final answer:
Delegates originally convened in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation but ultimately wrote the United States Constitution, creating a stronger federal government while maintaining state powers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Constitutional Convention of 1787
In an effort to address the issues with international trade and the limitations of the federal government, delegates were sent to Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, rather than amending the Articles, they ended up crafting a new foundational document. This historic gathering is known as the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where they wrote the United States Constitution. This new Constitution was designed to create a stronger central government while still preserving the powers of the individual states, and reflected a compromise between various competing interests. The delegates who met, recognized as the Framers, established a balance between the need for a more robust national government and the protection of state powers and individual liberties. The U.S. Constitution that emerged from the convention established a federal government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and it remains the supreme law of the United States today.