Constitutional Convention (1787)

How was the United States Government formed?

Decision #1Question:

• What to do about the Articles government?

Answer:

• Goal: to revise (or fix) the Articles of Confederation

DECISION• Start over to make a new

government.• Led to problems later

“Extra Legal”• Arguments over the new

government’s power55 delegates met at the Convention. 8 had signed the Declaration and GW was elected as president of the convention. Most were young like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton who believed the nation was sick and “needed a powerful remedy.”

1st OptionQuestion:

• How can the problems be fixed?

• Agreed on basic government principles (democracy, separation of powers, limited government, representative government, etc)

• Disagreed on how much power to give the new government.

• Edmund Randolph and James Madison proposed the Virginia Plan: – Strong national government with

three branches– Legislature: two houses and

representation would be based on a state’s population.

James Madison was nicknamed the “Father of the Constitution” because of his ideas about how to structure a government (VA Plan).

The Virginia Plan

Same Question: Option 2 (Next Box)

• Small states did not like the VA Plan – lose all power!

• William Paterson presented the New Jersey Plan – had three branches but had only one house that (like the Articles) would have only one vote for each state.

• It was really a slightly more powerful version of the Articles.

Patterson’s plan was an attempt to keep power for the small states but it had little chance of passing because it was too much like the Articles.

New Jersey Plan

Decision #2Question:• What did they

decide to do?

• The Great (or Connecticut) Compromise:–Proposed by Roger Sherman–Keep the Virginia Plan with

two houses – The House of Representatives

based on population– The Senate based on equal

representation (two per state).• Led to problems: – South would only keep power in

the Senate (free vs. slave states).

Most of Madison’s VA Plan was accepted – making it the basis of the new government.

The Great (or Connecticut Compromise)

• Delegates to the Constitutional Convention came from different backgrounds and held different political views. The larger states favored the Virginia Plan. According to the Virginia Plan, each state would have a different number of representatives based on the state's population. The smaller states favored the New Jersey Plan. According to the New Jersey Plan, the number of representatives would be the same for each state.

• A delegate from Connecticut, Roger Sherman, proposed a two-house legislature, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate would have an equal number of representatives from each state. This would satisfy the states with smaller populations. The House of Representatives would include one representative for each 30,000 individuals in a state. This pleased states with larger populations.

• This two-house legislature plan worked for all states and became known as the Great Compromise.

Decision #3Question:• What to do about

slavery?

Answer:• Many northerners wanted to end slavery – they

thought counting slaves for representation was unfair because they could not vote. Southerners refused to give in – they threatened to walk out.

• 3/5ths Compromise: slaves would be counted for population and taxes in the South but they would only count for 3/5’s of a white southerner. (5,000 slaves would count as 3,000). Neither side was really happy with this.

3/5ths Compromise

What was the biggest argument at the Constitutional Convention?

A. SlaveryB. Representation in CongressC. The Executive BranchD. Whether or not to replace the

Articles of Confederation

What plan was the basis of the Constitution?

A.The 3/5’s CompromiseB. The Virginia PlanC. The New Jersey PlanD.The Great Compromise

What solved the biggest argument of the Constitutional Convention?

A.The 3/5’s CompromiseB. The Virginia PlanC. The New Jersey PlanD.The Great Compromise

Decision #4Question:

• How should trade be controlled?

The Slave Trade: •It could only be made illegal after 20 years. •No state could stop a fugitive slave from being returned (the first fugitive slave law).Trade: •National government would control trade between states (interstate commerce = business)•States would control trade within their borders.

The slave trade remained untouched leading to the expansion of slavery into new states = bigger and bigger problem!

Trade Compromises

Decision #5Question:• What to do about an

executive?

What to call it? •President – new idea based on the word preside (like Washington did over the Convention)•Separated from the other branchesHow to choose?•Combined the ideas and developed the Electoral College (indirect election).•Based votes for president on state population (using the representatives in Congress to determine the votes)Also decided:– No term limits– 4 year terms

Executive Compromises

What decisions were made about slavery at the Constitutional Convention?

a. The 3/5’s Compromiseb. The Virginia Planc. The slave trade was outlawedd. The Great Compromise

What decision was made about trade?

a. The government could control interstate commerce.

b. Slavery would be allowed in all states for 20 years.

c. Each state could control traded. The president could control trade with the

Electoral College.

What decision was made about the Executive Branch?

a. They would not have one.b. They would have a president chosen by the

peoplec. They would have a president chosen by the

Electoral College.d. The president would be chosen by Congress.

Why was a convention called?

a. To make a new governmentb. To solve the arguments of representation

and slaveryc. To revise or fix the Articles of Confederationd. To solve the arguments between the

Federalists and Anti-Federalists.

What was the Virginia Plan?

a. A plan to give small states equal representation

b. A plan with a strong executive chosen by the Electoral College

c. A plan with three branches that gave one vote to each state

d. A plan with representation based on population.

What was the New Jersey Plan?

a. A plan with three branches that gave each state one vote.

b. A plan that gave power to big states.c. A plan with three branches based on

population.d. A plan for a new government that was very

different from the Articles of Confederation.

What solved the argument between the big and small states?

a. The 3/5’s Compromiseb. The Virginia Plan was acceptedc. The plan to have a president.d. The Great Compromise.

What was the Great Compromise?

a. A plan that gave power to all states because it gave each state equal power.

b. A plan that created two houses, one based on population and the other was equal.

c. An agreement to count 3/5’s of the slaves for population.

d. The agreement to end the slave trade after 20 years.