Constitutional Convention: Fixing America's Weaknesses

1. Main Idea: The new Constitution corrected the weaknesses of government under the Articles of Confederation. Key Terms: Depression Manumission Proportional Compromise Ch. 7, Section 2: Convention and Compromise

2. Economic Depression pgs. 199-201 • The United States went though a depression, or a time when economic activity slowed and unemployment increased, after the Revolutionary War. • 1. Because Southern plantations were damaged during the war, they could not produce as much rice as prior to the war. As a result, rice exports dropped.

3. Economic Depression • 2. Farmers could not sell the goods they grew and therefore did not have money to pay state taxes. • Farmers lost their lands when state officials took their farms to pay the debt they owed. • Some farmers were even jailed.

4. Trade Problems • 3. American trade fell off when Britain closed the West Indies to American merchants. As a result, currency was in short supply, and whatever was around was used to pay the war debt.

5. Angry Americans • The Shay’s Rebellion occurred as a result of the problems farmers suffered. • In 1787 Daniel Shays led a group of more then 1,000 angry farmers, forcing courts in western Massachusetts to close so judges could not seize farmers’ lands.

6. Shay’s Rebellion • Shays led the farmers toward the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts, for arms and ammunition. • The farmers did not stop, even when the state militia fired over their heads. • Militia then directly at them, killing four. • The uprising was over when Shays and his followers scattered.

7. Impact of Shay’s Rebellion • Americans felt the impact of the Shays uprising. • Many were scared that future uprisings could occur. • Showed that this new nation was struggling to survive on it’s own.

8. Slavery • Slavery was a difficult issue that many people and groups began to work toward ending. • 1. Quakers organized the first American Antislavery Society in 1774. • 2. In 1780 Pennsylvania passed a law that provided for freeing enslaved people gradually. • 3. In 1783 a Massachusetts court ruled slavery was illegal. • 4. Between 1784 and 1804, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey passed laws that ended slavery. • 5. In 1787 the Free African Society in Philadelphia was formed.

10. Economic Depression • Some states clung to slavery, especially those south of Pennsylvania. • The plantations system relied on slavery to survive. • Yet a number of slaveholders did begin to free slaves after the war.

11. Future Problems • Virginia passed a law encouraging manumission, or freeing individual enslaved persons. • The abolition of slavery divided the country. • In 1787, when state representatives met to plan a new government because they realized the Articles of Confederation were weak, they compromised on the issue of slavery. • It would take another war to resolve this issue,

12. A Call for Change • Political leaders were divided on the issue of the type of government the country should have. • 1. One group wanted to remain with a system of independent state governments. • 2. The other group wanted to create a strong national government. • This group called for reform of the Articles of Confederation. • James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were proponents of a strong central government.

13. A Call for Change • In September 1787, Hamilton proposed calling a meeting in Philadelphia to discuss trade issues and possible changes to the Articles of Confederation so that the union would become a nation. • George Washington finally agreed to attend the convention although at first he was not enthusiastic about revising the Articles of Confederation. • His presence lent greater significance to the meeting.

14. The Constitutional Convention • The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia beginning in May 1787 and consisted of 55 delegates • None of whom were Native American, African American, or women. None these groups were included in the political process.

15. Founding Fathers • Several leaders stood out-George Washington and Ben Franklin, • James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, who wrote the final draft of the Constitution • Edmund Randolph • James Madison, who became known as “Father of the Constitution” because he authored the basic plan of government that was adopted.

16. George Washington James Wilson Benjamin Franklin Edmund Randolph Gouverneur Morris James Madison 4th President

17. The Constitutional Convention • George Washington presided. The basic rules were: 1. each state has one vote on all issues 2. a majority vote was needed to finalize decisions 3. delegates from at least 7 of the 13 states were required for meetings to be held 4. delegates met behind closed doors so they could talk freely Two plans of government were proposed-the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.

18. The Virginia Plan, proposed by Edmund Randolph from Virginia, called for a two-house legislature, a chief executive chosen by the legislature, and a court system. • 1. The people would elect members of the lower house • 2. The lower house would choose members of the upper house. • 3. In both houses, the number of representatives would be proportional to the population of each state. A state with a smaller population would have fewer representatives than a state with a larger population.

20. New Jersey Plan • The New Jersey Plan, proposed by William Paterson, modified the Articles of Confederation. • 1. It kept the one-house legislature with one vote for each state. • 2. Congress would now have the powers to set taxes and regulate trade. • 3. Congress would elect a weak executive branch with more than one person.

22. Compromise Wins Out • The delegates decided that simply revising the Articles of Confederation would not solve the problems. • They voted to plan a national government based on the Virginia Plan, but they had to work out several issues

23. Compromise • 1. How the members of Congress were to be elected • 2. How state representation would be determined in both houses • 3. Whether or not enslaved people were to be counted as part of the population, which would affect the number of representatives for some states • 4. Whether or not to ban slavery

24. Great Compromise • The Great Compromise was the agreement used to resolve the representation issues. Roger Sherman of Connecticut proposed the plan. • 1. There would be a two-house legislature. • In the lower house, or House of Representatives, the number of seats for each state would vary according to the state’s population. • In the upper house, or Senate, each state would have two members.

25. Great Compromise • 2. The way to count enslaved people would be determined by the Three-Fifths Compromise. • Each enslaved person was to count as three-fifths of a free person for taxation and representation. • So every five enslaved people would equal three free people. This broke the great debate that divided large and small states.

27. Slavery Compromises • Another compromise plan to resolve the issue of slavery said that Congress would not interfere with the slave trade until 1808. • In 1808 Congress could limit the slave trade if it chose to. • The Northerners, who wanted to abolish slavery throughout the nation and had already banned the slave trade in their states, compromised with the Southern states that considered slavery and the slave trade essential to their economies.

28. Compromise • The Bill of Rights was proposed to protect the new government from abusing its power. • George Mason of Virginia proposed a bill of rights, but was defeated. • Most of the delegates felt that the Constitution already provided adequate protection of the people’s rights.

29. Constitution • On September 17,1787, after four months of discussion and planning, the delegates met to sign the document. All but three delegates signed. The Confederation Congress sent the approved draft for state consideration. Nine of the thirteen states were needed for the Constitution to be approved.