This booklet discusses the Constitutional Convention, the Great Compromise, New Jersey Plan, and Virginia Plan. Different questions about the constitution. Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
1. THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
2. DO NOW • Think of a time that you had to compromise with someone and come to some sort of agreement. What did you have to give up, and what did the other person have to give up in order for you to meet in the middle?
3. THE CONVENTION BEGINS • The Constitutional Convention was set up to revise the Articles of Confederation. • However, a brand new Constitution would come out of the Convention. • Meeting in May 1787 was 55 delegates from the colonies including Ben Franklin (81), James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, who was elected President of the Convention. • The Convention took place in secrecy because the delegates wanted to speak their minds freely, and did not want outside pressures.
4. The Constitutional Convention
5. DIVIDED The New Jersey The Virginia Plan Plan • Two delegates from Virginia • Small states objected proposed the Virginia Plan. strongly to the Virginia In this plan, there would be Plan because they two houses within the feared that large states legislative branch. could easily outvote • Seats in both houses would them in Congress. be awarded based on population. • After two weeks of • Larger states would have debate, William Paterson more representation than of NJ proposed a plan in smaller ones which each state would • Proponents of this plan felt be given one vote in the that it was only fair for a legislature, regardless of state with more people to population have more representation
6. THE GREAT COMPROMISE • With tempers flaring over the issue of representation, the Convention was close to falling apart without reaching an agreement • Roger Sherman of Connecticut worked out a compromise which he hoped would satisfy both small states and large states. • Sherman’s Plan called for a two house legislature. • The House of Representatives would be based on population. • The Senate would consist of two senators from each state, regardless of the population • The delegates narrowly approved Sherman’s Plan as each side had to compromise to preserve the nation
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8. THREE- FIFTHS COMPROMISE • A disagreement emerged between the Northern states and the Southern states. • Should slaves be counted in a state’s population, considering that they were treated like property and couldn’t vote? • The southern states wanted them to count because a higher population total would mean more representatives sent to Congress. • The Northern states said that they should not count because they didn’t have the right to vote. • An agreement was made in which three fifths of the slaves in any state would count toward the state’s population. • For instance if a state had 5,000 slaves, 3,000 would be counted for the state’s Population • This became known as the Three-Fifths Compromise
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11. MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION… • The delegates also had to decide the following: • How many years should the President serve? • How should the Courts be organized? • Would members of the Congress be paid? • Finally, by September 17,1787, the Constitution was ready. Now it had to be ratified by 9 of the 13 states. • Debates took place in each state. • Those who supported the new Constitution were called Federalists. • Those who opposed the new Constitution were called Antifederalists
12. FEDERALISTS VS. ANTI-FEDERALISTS Anti- Federalists Federalists • Supported a Strong • Believed that the Constitution Central Government gave too much power to the • The Articles of National government and left the states to be too weak Confederation proved • Thought that the Constitution that a stronger Central gave the President too much Gov. was needed. power and feared that the • The Constitution would President would become like a allow the federal King. government to function • They wanted a Bill of Rights to effectively be added to the Constitution • The Constitution still and refused to sign it if the Bill protected rights of of Rights was not added. individual states
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14. THE CONSTITUTION IS PASSED! • Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution is December 1787. • In June 1788, the 9th State to ratify was New Hampshire, and the Constitution was in effect. • Eventually all states would ratify. • The Bill of Rights would be added to the Constitution, giving all Americans basic rights, not to be taken away by the government.
15. DEFEND YOUR POSITION… • Pretend you are a citizen in 1789. Would you argue for or against the Constitution? How would you defend your position?
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