Addressing Dissatisfaction: Writing of the Constitution of 1787

1. 1.4b 1.4- Analyze how dissatisfactions with the government under the Articles of Confederation were addressed with the writing of the Constitution of 1787, including the debates and compromises reached at the Philadelphia Convention and the ratification of the Constitution.

2. The Constitutional Convention 1787 a delegation met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation They quickly decided to get rid of the Articles and write a new set of laws The result was the United States Constitution However, no agreement could be made as to exactly what the new Constitution would say. A number of compromises had to be reached as a result.

3. The Founding Fathers (Framers)_ The Philadelphia Convention had to write a new plan of government rather than amend the old because changing the Articles of Confederation required unanimous consent for amendment. (9 of 13) -Rhode Island did not attend the convention. Many of the Founding Fatherswere state delegates to the Constitution. **James Madison is referred to as the Father of the Constitution because he came to the Convention with the Virginia Plan. ***George Washington was the President of the Convention Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton were in attendance. Jefferson and John Adams were not in attendance as they were serving as ambassadors overseas.

4. New Jersey Plan • Proposed by William Paterson • Unicameral, or one house, legislature in which all states would be equally represented • Sought to maintain the Articles of Confederation: but Congress had the power to tax and regulate trade • Federal Laws would be supreme over state Laws

5. The Virginia Plan Proposed by Edmund Randolph and James Madison of Virginia introduced the Virginia Plan Three branches of Government Legislative, executive, and judicial branches For the legislative branch two houses of Congress both whose membership would be decided by size of population. This was disliked by the smaller states who proposed the New Jersey Plan which would have one house of Congress with each state getting one vote each. This led to the Great Compromise

6. The Great Compromise or Connecticut Plan Two House of Congress House of Representatives- each states would be granted a certain number of seats based on population. (Big states were happy) Senate- each would be equally represented with two seats each. Together the two houses would comprise Congress. Then the question became who would count as population.

7. Three-Fifths Compromise Slave states wanted to count slaves as population for determining the number seats granted in the House. Northern states believed that since the slaves were not voting citizens they should not count. They two sides agreed to the Three-Fifths Compromise. Three-Fifths of the slave population would be counted. (EVERY 5 ENSLAVED PERSONS WOULD COUNT AS 3 FREE PERSONS TO DETERMINE REPRESENTATION AND TAXATION)

8. The Slave Trade Compromise Northerners wanted to limit the international slave trade. The south demanded that the trade be left alone. ***The compromise stated that Congress could not limit the slave trade for 25 years (UNTIL 1808), and then it could impose limits. So…the South only had 25 years to get all the slaves they could from overseas…then it was cut off!

9. Ratification of the Constitution The ratification of the Constitution was the result of compromise between those who wanted a stronger national government and those who feared it. **9 out of 13 states had to ratify the Constitution

10. Federalists Leaders- Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay **This group favored a strong central government and supported the Constitution Loose Interpretation of the Constitution- They believed that the Constitution allowed the Federal Government to take certain actions not specifically stated as long as the actions were necessary for carrying out the government’s responsibilities. IOW: everything did NOT have to be specifically written in the document

13. Anti-Federalists Leader- Thomas Jefferson Worried that the federal government would be to strong and trample on the rights of the people if not contained. They did favor the Constitution, but wanted a much weaker central government Strict Interpretation- The federal government could only do what the Constitution specifically said. Insisted that the Bill of Rights be added before the Constitution was ratified.

14. The Debate and the Federalist Papers Federalist Papers-a series of essays that were written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay that argued for ratification of the Constitution These papers are still used today when trying to interpret the meaning of the Constitution. Supported by Washington, Hamilton, and John Adams- the Federalist view won out. However, the Bill of Rights was included in the Constitution so the Anti-Federalist’s also succeeded.

16. EOC Sample Questions: • Why did smaller states oppose the VA Plan and how did the Great Compromise set their fears at ease? • A. They opposed the VA Plan because it wanted to include slaves in the population count, thereby giving southern states even more power in Congress. The Great Compromise eased their fears by stating that after 20 years, Congress could decide not to include slaves in such a count. • B. They opposed the VA Plan because it wanted to leave slaves out of the population count and smaller states needed their slaves counted if they were going to compete with the larger states. The Great Compromise eased their fears because it stated that slaves would be counted as 3/5’s of a person in the population • C. They opposed the VA Plan because it advocated only 1 house in Congress that would be based on population. The Great Compromise eased their fears because it said that each state would be represented equally. • D. They opposed the VA Plan because it advocated a legislative branch in which both houses of Congress would be based on population. The Great Compromise eased their fears because it called for one house to be based on population but the second to provide = representation for each state.

17. Political faction which favored a strong central government, loose interpretation of the Constitution, and wanted to see the Constitution ratified was known as what? • A. Federalists • B. Anti-Federalists • C. supporters of the NJ Plan • D. delegates to the Constitutional Convention

18. Those who supported the adoption of the Constitution were called: • A. Abolitionists • B. Democrats • C. Federalists • D. Republicans

19. The primary goal of the people who instigated the American Revolution was: • A. To establish a new economic elite in N. America • B. To establish the world’s first democratic gov. • C. To regain the rights they felt the British had been denying them • D. To make legally binding the concepts of equality and liberty for all in the colonies

20. The Treaty of Paris of 1783: • A. ended French colonial holdings in N. America • B. granted the US independence from England • C. ensured Loyalists would not be compensated for their lands • D. established an alliance between the US and France

21. At the Constitutional Convention, the VA Plan would have granted more power to: • A. Industrial states • B. Agricultural states • C. States with small populations • D. States with large populations

22. The Founding Fathers gained support for the Constitution by promising that: • A. all free males would be able to vote • B. the President would be from the South • C. a Bill of Rights would be established • D. the President would be freely elected by the people

23. Activity • Which do you prefer? • One a sheet of blank paper, illustrate the plan you deem most effective in establishing a new type of government for the United States. You must address the issues and concerns the Founding Fathers faced (slavery, collecting taxes, representation) in your illustrations. Your plan can mimic the NJ Plan, VA Plan, or CT Plan; however, you must give an explanation for the plan you chose.