Drafting the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention (Philadelphia, PA) Presiding Officer: George Washington When? Summer of 1787 Who? 55 Delegates representing 12 states (no RI) “Father of the Constitution”: James Madison

Representation of States in Congress Two houses of Congress, both with proportional representation (based on population) The New Jersey Plan One house of Congress with equal representation for each state

The Great Compromise (Connecticut) Congress has two houses (BICAMERAL) Senate: Equal representation for all states House of Representatives: Based on population Senate House of Reps

Slavery Problem: How to count slaves for purposes of representation and taxation North: Slaves should NOT count towards the total population of a state South: Slaves SHOULD count towards the total population of a state (more people = more representatives)

Three-Fifth’s (3/5) Compromise 3/5 of slaves will be counted to determine representation and taxation 1 slave = 3/5 of a person, 5 slaves = 3 people

Three-Fifth’s (3/5) Compromise 3/5 of slaves will be counted to determine representation and taxation 1 slave = 3/5 of a person, 5 slaves = 3 people

Three-Fifth’s (3/5) Compromise Delegates also agreed that the slave trade would not be banned or discussed for at least 20 years.

Ratifying the Constitution Federalists: - Support the Constitution - Believe a stronger government is necessary to run the country Anti-Federalists: - Do not support the Constitution - Afraid of a government that is too strong that could take rights from the people

The Federalist Papers Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay Reasons to support the Constitution

Final Ratification - Federalists agree to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution to protect individual freedoms - Needed 9 states to ratify in order for the Constitution to take effect - 1st State to Ratify: Delaware 9th State: New Hampshire North Carolina – 12th Rhode Island – 13th

The Electoral College Should people vote directly on who will be President? Do they know enough about the candidates and issues? Should only educated delegates from each state vote on who would be the best President?

The Electoral College Each state has a certain number of “electors” who cast votes (based on the popular vote in their state) Candidates win votes from each state until they reach the majority needed to win (# of votes per state = # of representatives in Congress) Currently, a candidate must win 270 out of 438 possible votes in order to win and become President.

The Electoral College Many people feel that the Electoral College system should be ended and that the President should be chosen by a popular vote. One argument in favor of keeping it is so that candidates must appeal to a broader variety of people across the country, not just those in urban areas where the most people live. The Electoral College gives a little more power to rural states than they would have under a popular vote system. Wyoming Population: 544,270 US Population: 307,006,550 WY % of Overall Pop: 0.017% Wyoming Electoral Votes: 3 US Total Electoral Votes: 535 WY % of Overall EC Votes: 0.56% WY: 1 EC Vote per 181,000 people US: 1 EC Vote per 573,844 people

The Electoral College: 2000 Election It is possible for a candidate to win more popular votes than another but still lose the Electoral Vote and not become President. How? George W. Bush Al Gore

The Electoral College: 2000 Election

Final Ratification: Making It Official! - Needed 9 states to ratify in order for the Constitution to take effect - 1st State to Ratify: Delaware 9th State: New Hampshire North Carolina – 12th Rhode Island – 13th