What significant meeting took place in Philadelphia in 1787?

The significant meeting that took place in Philadelphia in 1787 was the Constitutional Convention. This convention was called to address the problems arising from the weak central government that was established by the Articles of Confederation. Delegates from twelve of the thirteen states (Rhode Island did not participate) gathered to draft the United States Constitution, aiming to create a stronger federal government that balanced power between the states and the national government.

The outcome of the Constitutional Convention was the establishment of a new framework for governance, which included a system of checks and balances among three branches of government—the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. This Constitution not only provided structure but also set forth the principles of democracy and the rule of law that are core to the American political system today.

The other options refer to different significant historical events. The Continental Congress was the governing body during the American Revolutionary War, while the Bill of Rights Convention is not a recognized historical event, as the Bill of Rights was introduced in Congress in 1789 but not through a convention. The Treaty of Paris meetings pertained to negotiations that ended the Revolutionary War, occurring in the 1780s but at a different time and with a different focus than the drafting of the Constitution.