However, the next day, it turned out that Madison was wrong. A petition arrived calling for the abolition of slavery. First, it said that the idea of slavery was incompatible with Revolutionary ideals. Secondly, it argued that the constitution did not restrict the abolition of the slave trade. To top everything off, it was signed by Benjamin Franklin, whose presence made sure that the issue could not disappear into Congressional deadlock. Ellis then describes the meetings that took place during the Constitutional Convention concerning