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The Great Compromise

After much debate at the Constitutional Convention, A compromise was made between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans …. The Great Compromise. The House of Representatives :

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The Great Compromise

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  1. After much debate at the Constitutional Convention, A compromise was made between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans…

  2. The Great Compromise The House of Representatives: Every state is represented proportionally (based on population), so Virginia has 11 Representatives, while a larger state like California has 53. The United States Senate: Every state has two Senators. Originally selected by state legislatures, today, thanks to the 17th Amendment, they are elected by the people.

  3. But other problems still existed… What to do about slaves? Should they count as part of the total population count in order to figure out representatives in the House?

  4. The Three-Fifths Compromise • The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement to count enslaved men and women as a part of the population of Southern states as three-fifths of a person each. • It gave the Southern states greater representation in Congress By counting enslaved people – who had no political rights in the South – as three-fifths of a person, Southern states gained greater power in Congress and lessened their tax burden.

  5. Does this mean the Constitution was now approved (ratified) by all the states? NOT QUITE…

  6. FEDERALISTS Supported the Ratification of the US Constitution • After it was written, the US Constitution had to be ratified by nine of the original thirteen states. • People who wanted it to be ratified were called Federalists. They generally favored a strong central government, and wanted the government to influence economic development and internal improvements. • Three famous Federalists, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrote The Federalist Papers to encourage the ratification of the US Constitution. Federalists: George Washington John Adams Alexander Hamilton Ben Franklin James Madison John Jay

  7. ANTIFEDERALISTS Opposition to the Constitution • People who opposed the ratification of the Constitution were called Antifederalists. • They generally feared that the Constitution gave too much power to the national government, and most favored a system more like the Articles of Confederation, which gave greater control to the states. • Many Antifederalists insisted that the Bill of Rights be added to the Constitution before they would support ratifying the document. • Fearing that the document had no Bill of Rights, George Mason refused to support it. • Patrick Henry refused even to attend the Constitutional Convention, stating “I smell a rat.”

  8. The Bill of Rights The Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason in 1776, inspired many of the protections of individual rights and liberties which are in the Bill of Rights. Both documents emphasize: • Freedom of Speech • Freedom of Religion • Freedom of the Press • The Right to a Speedy Trial • The Right to Trial by Jury Why would the Anti-Federalists want a Bill of Rights before they would approve the Constitution?

  9. The Bill of Rights • Thomas Jefferson’s Statute of Religious Freedom influenced the First Amendment to the Constitution, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibit the free exercise thereof…” • Jefferson disliked the idea of being required to pay taxes to religious institutions his conscience did not support. The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom was written in the 1770s, but would not become state law until the year 1786. Jefferson, who was not a practicing Christian, admired the teachings of Christ, but preferred religious tolerance above all. The first portion of the First Amendment reflects Virginia’s Statute.

  10. James Madison was the principle author of the Bill of Rights. • Although James Madison was a strict Federalist who believed that the Constitution should be approved with or without a Bill of Rights, he was committed to fulfilling many of the promises he had made to Antifederalist assembly men who were on the fence about the Constitution. • He was the leading author of the Bill of Rights, and introduced the amendments before Congress in 1791.

  11. The Constitutional Convention • Finally in 1788, the United States Constitution was ratified and became the supreme law of the land. This was because of the Bill of Rights. • Its rules are followed whenever they are in conflict with the states. http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-madison/videos/america-gets-a-constitution

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