What was the Annapolis Convention?

The Annapolis Convention was a meeting that was held in Annapolis, Maryland in 1786. It was held at Mann’s Tavern. There was a growing concern about the weaknesses of the plan of government created by the Articles of Confederation. The meeting was designed to deal with issues affecting trade between the states that existed in our country.

Unfortunately, the Annapolis Convention was poorly attended. Only twelve delegates were there, representing five states. Since attendance was so limited, the concept that came out of the Annapolis Convention was to ask to have another meeting scheduled to discuss the trade issues that existed. This led to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in September 1787. The Constitutional Convention led to the development of a new plan of government for the country. This new plan addressed the trade issues as well as other issues that existed under the plan of government created by the Articles of Confederation.