The Constitutional Convention  55 delegates gathered in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787.

The Grand Convention  Delegates gathered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787 to draft a blueprint for a new and better form of government.

Notable Notable Delegates George Washington (chosen as the convention president -- all deliberations were to be kept secret) Benjamin Franklin (oldest at age 81) James Madison

Notably Absent  Thomas Jefferson and John Adams (both serving as ambassadors in Europe.)  Patrick Henry refused to attend, believing that state governments offered the best protection for personal liberties. He worried that a strong national government would erode the ideals fought for during the revolution.

Agreement  Articles of Confederation needed to be fixed.  New government must have authority to tax people, raise and support armed forces, regulate commerce/trade, and make and enforce laws.  Accepted idea of separating government into 3 branches to guard against abuse of power.

Areas of Conflict  How would power be divided between states and the national government?  How would states with small populations and states with large populations be represented fairly?  How would states from the north, whose economies were not so tied to slavery, compromise with states from the south whose economies relied heavily on slave labor?

Compromises over Representation Which states had the largest total population? Which states had the largest slave population?

Drafting the Constitution  The Virginia Plan called for proportional representation. States with a large population favored this plan, since they would have more representatives.  The New Jersey Plan called for equal representation. States with a small population favored this plan, since they would have an equal number of representatives compared to large states.  Great Compromise provided for two houses in Congress — one based on proportional representation and one based on equal representation. House of RepresentativesSenate Proportional representation based on population (today 435 members) Equal representation (today 100 members - 50 states X 2 Senators each)

Slavery Under Attack  By 1790, every state except South Carolina and Georgia had abolished the importation of new slaves within their borders.  As a result, a higher proportion of slaves were American born.

 Another question was whether or not states with large numbers of slaves should be able to count them for purposes of representation.  The 3/5 Compromise dictated that blacks be counted as three-fifths of a white resident for purposes of representation.  Dodging another political bullet, the founders agreed that slavery as an institution could not end for at least twenty years.

The Rise of Federalism  Federalists: supporters who wanted a strong, central government  Anti-federalists: supporters who feared a strong, central government and wanted states to hold most of the power Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson

The Struggle Over Ratification It took less than a year to secure the nine states needed to win ratification. It took less than a year to secure the nine states needed to win ratification.