CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

1. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

2. CONVENTION • -May 1787 Philadelphia • Purpose- amend the Aoc • -12 of 13 states • Rhode Island absent • Refused to participate ** EC • -55 Delegates • George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton • Revolutionary War veterans, farmers, merchants, lawyers and bankers. • primarily motivated by their own economic and civic interests

3. DECISIONS MADE • -rewrite gov’t: • Stronger written plan was needed… • -1 vote per state • -keep meeting a secret • So delegates can speak freely • If 13 states knew that they were throwing out old gov’t and creating a new one… chaos! • -majority rules

4. Now what… • Many opinions were heard • Realized they needed a BALANCED gov’t • Arguments broke out • So, compromise! • Way of resolving something where each side gives up something, but gains something else.

5. ISSUES AT DEBATE • -representation • How many representatives would each state get in the new Legislative branch? • large states- since they were bigger, felt they should have more power • small states- said it wasn’t fair and that large states would get more power b/c they were larger… • -slavery • North wanted nat’l gov’t to outlaw slavery • South wanted to keep slavery b/c their plantations depended on them. • - • -Economics $$ • North- wanted national gov’t to control trade • South-wanted more state control b/c they depended on the trading for revenue (gov’t income)

6. PLANS PROPOSED • -Virginia Plan • -James Madison • -3 branches • -bicameral Congress • -population based • Representation would be based on how many ppl in state. • BIG states  (MA, PA, NY, VA) • -New Jersey Plan • -small state plan  • -equal voting- unicameral congress (each state 1 vote) • **equal representation • -group executive • -promoted state’s rights

7. COMPROMISES • -Great Compromise aka Connecticut Compromise • -Agreement made at the Convention of 1787 that created a two house (bicameral) legislature with one house based on population and the other based on state equality • - House • based on population • Made big states  • -Senate • equal representation • Made small states  Roger Sherman **called Great Compromise b/c it set up how our L branch (Congress) is… way it is TODAY!!!

8. COMPROMISES • “The Convention is in a dilemma. By agreeing to the clause it will revolt [many] in the States having no slaves. On the other hand, two states might be lost to the Union.” —Edmund Randolph, Virginia delegate to the Convention • 3/5 Compromise- • South-“ please count slaves as part of pop so our voting power in the HoR can increase!” • GA and SC says they will leave if they can’t keep importing slaves… • North- “no, not fair, slaves aren’t seen as full citizens.” • Compromise- Every 5 slaves • -3/5 Compromise • -Agreement made at the convention of 1787 that slaves would count as 3/5 a person for the census to determine the population of each state • -Slave Trade Compromise • -Agreement at the convention of 1787 that Congress would not tax exports and slave trading could be banned in 20 years • North- didn’t want the South to bring in more slaves to add to population • South-what if Congress taxed is on exports?? (rice, tobacco)

10. NEW GOV’T -much stronger -power to tax -regulate trade -strong executive -needed 9 of 13 to ratify “It appears to me…little short of a miracle, that the Delegates from so many different States…in their manners, circumstances, and prejudices, should unite in forming a system of national Government.”—George Washington

11. These Compromises begin the basis for the United States Constitution!

12. NEW GOV’T -much stronger -power to tax -regulate trade -strong executive -needed 9 of 13 to ratify

14. 2 more compromises: How will we elect a President? 2 different groups of people are forming Federalists the Constitution the way it is. To win support, they remind ppl of the flaws of the Aoc! Anti-Federalists felt the new constitution gave too much power to the national gov’t and too little to states and PEOPLE… • Some delegates thought members of Congress should • Others wanted the people to be able to vote • Compromise= • Electoral College: group of ppl who select the president and VP • We vote and electors follow our votes!

15. RATIFICATION • -Federalists (Madison/Hamilton) • -Political group who supported the passage of the new Constitution and its stronger government – • thought it was great the way it was! • -Anti-Federalist (Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, John Hancock) • -Political group who opposed the new Constitution and thought it lacked a specific list of people’s rights • -Federalist Papers -support the new government • -written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay

16. Bill of Rightspromised if Feds would agree that more rights were needed for the PEOPLE! • Federalists finally agreed with Anti-Feds that a bill of rights was a good idea • Feds promised that if the new Constitution was adopted (come on NC and RI) the new government would add a BILL OF RIGHTS • By 1790, the 13 INDEPENDENT STATES are now… • ONE NATION: • THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!