Chapter 7 Creating the Constitution 1776-1790 Section 2 The Constitutional Convention LEQ: What role did compromise play in the creation of the United States Constitution?
Key terms & People What you will know James Madison Roger Sherman Compromise Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan Edmund Randolph The Great Compromise William Paterson
What you will do Discuss Constitutional Convention Identify the specifics of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan Explain the Great Compromise Discuss the disputes over slavery and the 3/5’s compromise Analyze the preamble of the Constitution
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention Constitutional Convention-Philadelphia 1787 Purpose… To revise the Articles of Confederation The Delegates 55 total from 12 states Rhode Island did not send any delegates George Washington President of the convention
The Virginia Plan On the third day of the convention, Edmund Randolph of Virginia proposed a plan for a new, strong central government. The Virginia Plan authored by James Madison called for a… Three branch government Legislative branch Congress Based on population Good for large states Executive branch President Judicial branch Court system to interpret the laws
The New Jersey Plan Smaller states opposed the Virginia plan. They wanted equal representation in Congress. On June 15 – William Patterson introduced a modified plan for small states The New Jersey Plan… Single house legislature with equal representation for each state Power to Congress to raise money and regulate commerce
The Great Compromise Roger Sherman introduces a compromise to satisfy both large and small states. On July 16, 1787 the delegates accept the… Great Compromise Two house Congress To please the large states The lower house or the House of Representatives was to be based on population Representatives serve 2 year terms Chosen by the people
The Great Compromise To please the small states Each state would have two seats in the upper house or Senate Senators chosen by State legislatures 6 year terms
Three-Fifths Compromise
Debates Over Slavery In your HRT’s, read Debates Over Slavery and answer the following questions. What issue divided the delegates that touched off bitter debates between southerners and northerners? Which delegates said slaves should be counted when calculating representatives? How did the other group of delegates react? What plan did the delegates finally agree to? What percentage of a person does this new plan consider a slave? How did this effect the south? Why did the north agree to this plan? What did this compromise do to slavery? How? What did some northern delegates want to do about slavery? How did the south react? What compromise was reached regarding slavery? Explain.
A New Constitution Differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution Articles of Confederation Pact between the states Constitution Authority from the people rather than the states This can be seen by the Preamble “We the People of the United States” This demonstrates that the government is based on the consent of the people
Checks on Learning What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention? Who was the president of the convention? What was the main difference between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan? How was the national government organized under the Virginia Plan? What was the Three-Fifths compromise? What is the significance of the constitution’s first phrase; We the People of the United States?
7. What compromise created a two house legislature? 8. Which house is based on a state’s population? 9. Which house is based on equal representation for each state? 10. Which document takes its authority from the people? 11. Define compromise. 12. Answer the LEQ.
Activity Page 756 Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom Read together as a class Use the SOAPSTONE graphic organizer Each person will create 5 bill of rights As a group debate your bill of rights and create a group bill of rights- 5 rights per group