The Constitutional Convention

1. The Constitutional Convention

2. Aims of the Convention • Congress called the meeting for the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation • Delegates voted to keep their debates secret so they could feel free to speak their minds • 55 delegates from 12 states to part, Rhode Island did not send delegates

3. The Virginia Plan • Edmund Randolph called for the central government to have three branches • Legislative Branch (Congress with two houses) • Executive Branch (carry out laws) • Judicial Branch (system of courts to interpret laws)

4. The New Jersey Plan • William Patterson called for a single house of Congress with equal representation for each state • Expanded powers of Congress to raise money and regulate commerce

5. The Great Compromise • Roger Sherman of Connecticut worked out a compromise, The Great Compromise • Two house legislature • Lower House: House of Representatives which would be based on population • Upper House: Senate which would consist of 2 representatives per state

6. Three-Fifths Compromise • South- slaves should be counted as part of population to help determine amount of representatives • North- slaves could not vote so they should not be counted • Three-Fifths Compromise: • Each slave would count as 3/5 of a person • 5 slaves equals 3 people

7. Slave Trade • North- wanted to ban buying and selling of people anywhere in the country • South- protested the ban, said it would ruin the nation’s economy • Compromise- ships would be allowed to bring enslaved people into the country for only 20 more years, after 1808 Congress could bar the importation of enslaved people