Chapter 7, Lesson 3

Chapter 7, Lesson 3

A Need For A New Start

Poll

What was the name of the first document that the United States based its government around?

• The Declaration of Independence

• The Articles of Confederation

• The Constitution

A Need For A New Start

• The original purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to adjust the Articles of Confederation

• However, there were too many details to be worked out

• It soon became clear that the delegates needed to develop a completely new system of government

The Virginia Plan

• One plan for the new government

• Proposed by Edmund Randolph

• Included a much stronger central government and greater control by the larger states

• The proposal became known as the large state plan

• It called for representatives to be based on population

The Virginia Plan

• Called for a congress to to be setup to make laws

• Called for a separate branch of the government that enforced the laws

• And called for a court system to guarantee justice under the law

• Randolph said that this method was democratic, which meant that it provided a government for the people

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The New Jersey Plan

• After two weeks of heated discussion, William paterson presented another plan

• This plan was known as the small-state plan

• His plan was basically to create a government like the one that already existed

• Each state was to have an equal vote in the government

Open Ended

Do you think California and Wyoming's votes should be counted equally when voting on new laws?

California Population: ~40 million

Wyoming Population: ~600 thousand

A Compromise Was Needed

• The delegates examined each plan and expressed their points of view

• As the summer temperatures soared, so did that of the delegates

• The debate became so strong that at times some delegates were ready to quit and call the convention a failure

Open Ended

What is one compromise you have had to make in your life?

What was the Compromise?

• Ben Franklin, who was 81 at the time, calmed everyone down

• The much younger delegates respected him and listened to what he had to say

• Ben Franklin was very smart and funny, so people liked to listen to him talk

• Together, with George Washington, Franklin got all of the delegates on the same page

The Great Compromise

• The deadlock between the larger and smaller states dragged on

• The main issue was how strong they wanted the government to be, and how much power they still wanted states to have

• A special committee was formed to try and work out a compromise

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