The Constitutional Convention of 1787

Compromises of the Constitutional Convention

by Caryn Johnson

PROBLEM:

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​How many representatives should each state have in Congress?

​Representatives - people elected to make decisions for the citizens who elected them

​Virginia Plan

• ​Favored by large states

• ​Suggested representation should be based on population

• ​The more people a state had, the more representatives that state would have.

• ​Bigger states had MORE representatives.

• ​Called proportional representation

Multiple Choice

Based on the Virginia Plan, if Maryland had a population of 50,000 and Georgia had a population of 30,000, which state would get more representatives?

• Neither -- they would have equal amounts regardless of population

• Maryland because it has a smaller population than Georgia

• Georgia because it has a larger population than Maryland

• Maryland because it has a larger population than Georgia

​New Jersey Plan

• ​Favored smaller states

• ​Suggested that representation should be equal no matter what

• ​All states would have the same number of representatives regardless of size.

• ​This is called equal representation.

Multiple Choice

Based on the New Jersy Plan:

If New York's population was 75,000 and Pennsylvania's population was 100,000, which state would have more representatives in Congress?

• New Jersey because this plan made New Jersey alwayys have more reps than other states

• New York because it has a lower population & this plan favors small states

• Pennsylvania because it has a higher population & this plan favors large states

• Neither because this plan makes each state have the same amount of reps

​The Great Compromisee

• Brought together the New Jersey & Virgnia Plans

• ​Created a bicameral (2 houses) Congress

• ​1st House - House of Representatives

  • ​​representation based on population

• ​2nd House - Senate

  • ​equal representation for all states (2 per state)

Multiple Choice

Which of the two houses of Congress (created by the Great Compromise) would have representation that favors larger states?

• House of Representatives because it has equal representation

• Senate because it has equal representation

• House of Representatives because it has representation based on population

• Senate because it has representation based on population

Multiple Choice

Which of the following does NOT explain how the Great Compromise brought both the New Jersey and Virginia plans together?

• It included representation based on population (for larger states) in the House of Representatives

• It created a third house of Congress for territories of the US to have representation

• It created two houses of Congress, so both forms of representation could be present

• It included equal representation in the Senate, which would favor smaller staes

​Problem:

​Should slaves be counted in a state's population? -- which determines representation in Congress --

​Northerners said...

• ​NO!

• ​We don't want the South gaining more power in Congress​

• ​The South would have a larger population since they had more enslaved people

• ​More population meant more representatives in the House of Representatives.

​Southerners said...

• ​YES!

• ​Counting the enslaved people would increase the Southern population, which would increase their number of representatives

• ​Remember: more population meant more representatives in the House of Representatives

Multiple Choice

Why wouldn't the Northerners want enslaved people counted toward the population of a state?

• Because Northerners wanted slavery abolished completely

• Because counting slaves would increase the South's population and decrease their reps in Congress

• Because counting slaves would increase the South's population and increase their reps in Congress

• Because the South had less slaves than the North

​After debating the details, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention signed the new Constitution and went home. The next step was to RATIFY the document.

​Ratifying the Constitution

• ​Ratify means to approve or make official

• ​9/13 states had to ratify the Cosntitution for it to become official.

• ​The biggest complaint was that there was no Bill of Rights in the document.

• ​More Anti-federalists agreed to ratify once it was promised a Bill of Rights would be added later.

Multiple Choice

Why were some states hesitant to approve (ratify) the new Constitution?

• It did not have a Bill of Rights

• It was too long

• It gave the states too much power

• It created a new money source

• I

Multiple Choice

Which group would want a Bill of RIghts and why?

• Federalists -- because they thought a Bill of Rights helped protect rights of the President

• Anti-federalists because they thought a Bill of Rights would better protect individual & state rights

• Federalists because a Bill of Rights gave the state governments more power

• Anti-Federalists because Bill of Rights took power away from the states

Anti-federalists were also concerned ​that the "elastic clause" gave the federal government too much power.

Elastic clause: Congress could pass all laws necessary and proper to carry out ​its powers.

​

​Basically ---- even if something is not WRITTEN as a power that Congress has, Congress could still do it.

​

​Congress' power can expand & stretch (like elastic)

Multiple Choice

Why would anti-federalists not like the elastic clause?

• Anti-federalists typically did not like the federal government having a lot of power & the elastic clause gave the federal government more power

• Anti-federalists thought it gave the states too much power

• Anti-federalists thought it helped expand power for the state governments

• Anti-federalists typically liked the national government being stronger & the elastic clause made it weaker

​The Federalist Papers

• ​Series of articles published in New York

• ​Their purpose was to convince doubters to support the new Constitution

• ​Written by

  • ​Alexander Hamilton

  • ​John Jay

  • ​James Madison

Multiple Choice

Which group would the Federalist papers have been trying to convince?

• Federalists because they already supported the Constitution

• Anti-federalists because they already supported the Constitution

• Federalists because they did not support the Constitution

• Anti-federalists because they did not support the Constitution