The Constitutional Convention

Chapter 10 Lesson 1Pages 388 - 394

Objectives

Describe how the Constitution set up the government of the United States.

Explain the importance of the Great Compromise.

Many American’s poor High state taxes to pay People borrow money and then go

into debt Can’t pay debt – State Courts

would get involved Lose farms and then sent to prison

Massachusetts Farmers protest They refuse to let the courts meet Weapons: Pitchforks and guns Closed down the courthouse and

destroyed debt records

Daniel Shays – leads farmers in a revolt Try to take over a Massachusetts

arsenal Arsenal – a weapons storehouse No national army, so governor sends

state soldiers Shay’s Rebellion – people think that

the national government could not keep order or protect them

Ideas for Change James Madison Virginia Country needed a

stronger national government

Each state had their own governor, but no single national leader

9 states had to agree before a law could be passed

Patrick Henry Virginia Wanted to keep the

Articles of Confederation as they were

He said they fought the British so no powerful government would be ruling their lives

All states, except Rhode Island, send delegates to a convention

Location: Philadelphia The Goal: FIX THE ARTICLES OF

CONFEDERATION

What is the Articles of Confederation?

1777 – Approved by Congress Each state elects representatives to

serve in a national legislature Each state, large & small, had ONE

vote in congress

Most power was with the states Before any law could be passed at

least 9 out of 13 states had to approve it

Representatives RARELY agreed No state wanted to be under control

of another state If a law was passed, Congress had

no power to enforce it

Congress had the power to declare war, make treaties, and borrow money

They could NOT control trade or collect taxes

To help with war debt, they asked the states for money, but could not force them to pay

Congress also depended on the states for the nation’s defense

May 1787 55 delegates from 12 states meet

at the Pennsylvania State House George Washington – president

of the Convention

Creating the Constitution

Talks would be private This allowed them to speak freely

& make good decisions Windows in the State House

covered Guards were at the doors No one left!

Edmund Randolph

From Virginia Asked the delegates to get rid of

the Articles of Confederation Need to write a new plan of

government The next day – delegates agreed

Relationship: States & National government

Different views, but finally agreed to strengthen the federal system.

National & State governments would share power

States keep some power Federal government – power over

matters that affected the nation as a whole

Finished

The Constitution became the supreme law of the land

It helped found the American Republic

Republic – the people choose representatives to run the government

How would states be represented in Congress? Virginia Plan Congress would have

2 parts (houses) # of Representatives

based on the state’s population

Higher populated states would have more votes

Favored: Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania

New Jersey Plan William Paterson –

“Unfair” Congress would have

1 house Each state would be

equally represented Small states would

have the same # of representatives as large states

Working Together

Weeks of arguing over representation in Congress

Finally, each side realized they must compromise

Compromise – give up some of what you want

The Great Compromise

Roger Sherman of Connecticut led a group of delegates and they presented a NEW PLAN

The Connecticut Compromise was based on 2 houses.

In one house = representation based on population

The other house = equal representation

The Great Compromise

Both houses could present a BILL Bill – an idea for a new law But, BOTH houses had to approve the

bill before it could become a law Large states thought this gave smaller

states to much power So, only the house with representation

based on population could propose tax bills

RECAP ~ The Great Compromise

LARGE STATES

Gave up the idea of having more representatives in both houses of Congress

SMALL STATES

Gave up the idea of a single house of Congress with an equal number of representatives for each state

REMEMBER!

The number of each state’s representatives in one house of Congress would be determined by its population.

Southern states had slaves.

Should they count as part of the population?

Different Points of View Southern

delegates Wanted slaves to

count as part of the population (this would give them more representatives

Northern delegates

Felt slaves should not count

They argued slaves were not allowed to vote and did not hold any other rights of citizenship

Want slavery ended

The Three-Fifths Compromise Agreement comes Three-fifths of the total number of

slaves in each state would count toward the number of representatives

Many still spoke out against slavery Gouverneur Morris of PA called

slavery “the curse of heaven on the states where it prevailed.”

A continuing issue Delegates were afraid if slavery is

banned the Constitution would not be approved in the southern states

Delegates agreed that Congress could not stop states from importing slaves from other countries before 1808

1808 – Congress banned slave trade with other countries

But slaves could still be bought and sold within the U.S.

SUMMARY

Instead of just fixing the Articles of Confederation, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decided to write a new constitution. The Great Compromise resolved conflicts over representation in the government.

James Madison Argued the

country needed to replace the Articles of Confederation

Becomes our 4th President of the United States

Edmund Randolph Introduced the

Virginia Plan Under the plan,

the number of representatives of each state would be based on the state’s population

William Paterson Introduced the

New Jersey Plan Each state would

have the same number of representatives

Federal Government would have one house

Roger Sherman Presented the

Connecticut Compromise

This became known as the GREAT COMPROMISE

Gouverneur Morris He spoke out

against slavery, even after the Three-Fifths Compromise

What was one major shortcoming of the Articles of Confederation?

The national government was too weak

What event in 1787 caused many leaders in the United States to call for a Constitutional Convention?

Shay’s Rebellion

What does compromise mean in relationship to the Constitutional Convention?

To give up some of what you want in order to reach an agreement

Under the Three-fifths Compromise, which group in the United States was not totally included in each state’s population count for representation in Congress? Enslaved African Americans

What problem in the U.S. was highlighted by the events of Shay’s Rebellion?

The weakness of the national government

Who had to share the power to govern under the federal system?

The national and the state governments

What was the main question of debate that needed to be resolved at the Constitutional Convention?

How should representation in Congress be divided among the states.

What was the original purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

To fix the Articles of Confederation

What agreement did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention finally reach under the Great Compromise? Congress would have two houses One house having equal representation from

each state The other house based on population Both houses could propose bills, but only the

house in which representation was based on population could propose tax bills

What does it mean that the United States of America is a republic?

It means the U.S. has a form of government in which the people elect representatives to govern the country.

How was a new plan of government developed at the Constitutional Convention?

The delegates developed a new plan of government after much debate and compromise.