7.2 The Constitutional Convention

1. 7.2 The Constitutional Convention

2. Conflict Over Representation • Small States vs. Large States • How many representatives each state should have? • How would it be determined how many each state may send to Congress?

3. Conflict Over Representation • Small States • Worried that the larger states would control the new government • Solution: • each state gets the same # of representatives • called equal representation • The New Jersey Plan included this idea with only 1 house of Congress

4. Conflict Over Representation • Large States • They wanted the people to be represented more equally • Their solution: • states with more people should have more representatives • proportional representation • This was included in the Virginia Plan with 2 houses of Congress

5. Conflict Over Representation • The Great Compromise • A committee with 1 member from each state was created to solve the problem • Their solution was the Great Compromise (a.k.a. the Connecticut Compromise) • Congress will have 2 Houses • The House of Representatives will be based on population and has the power to write all bills concerning taxing and spending • The Senate will have equal representation and can approve, reject or amend the bills

6. North vs. South (ALREADY) • The economies were very different • The North • More diverse • Included manufacturing and shipbuilding • Some states were outlawing slavery (PA) • The South • Almost 100% agricultural • Shipped their product to Europe • Bought their goods from Europe • Had slavery

7. North vs. South (ALREADY) • Problems • Protective tariffs • The North wanted to protect their business with taxes on goods coming in • The South wanted fewer taxes on the goods they bought from Europe • Did not want the national government to regulate trade

8. North vs. South (ALREADY) • Problems • Slavery, representation and trade • Some northern delegates wanted to outlaw slavery and the slave trade • At least 3 southern states would have left the convention if that topic was on the table • The North didn’t think slaves should count for pop. • The south wanted them to count • Solution = 3/5ths compromise • Each slave would count fro 3/5ths of a person when adding up population for representation

9. North vs. South (ALREADY) • Problems • The issue of slave TRADE would not change for at least 20 years • Like slavery itself this was a temporary bandage on the problem that would lead to the Civil War