But on Thursday this was ready, and three days were devoted to going over carefully each article and section and giving the finishing touches.

By Saturday the work of the Convention was brought to a close, and the Constitution was then ordered to be engrossed.

On Monday, the 17th of September, the Convention met for the last time.

A few of those present being unwilling to sign, Gouverneur Morris again cleverly devised a form which would make the action appear to be unanimous: "Done in Convention by the unanimous consent of the states present...
in witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names." Thirty-nine delegates, representing twelve States, then signed the Constitution.
When Charles Biddle of Philadelphia, who was acquainted with most of the members of the Convention, wrote his "Autobiography," which was published in 1802, he declared that for his part he considered the government established by the Constitution to be "the best in the world, and as perfect as any human form of government can be." But he prefaced that declaration with a statement that some of the best informed members of the Federal Convention had told him "they did not believe a single member was perfectly satisfied with the Constitution, but they believed it was the best they could ever agree upon, and that it was infinitely better to have such a one than break up without fixing on some form of government, which I believe at one time it was expected they would have done." One of the outstanding characteristics of the members of the Federal Convention was their practical sagacity.

They had a very definite object before them.