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The Constitutional Convention. 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
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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
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)
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
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
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
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