The Constitutional Convention Philadelphia, 1787

A need for change Everyone recognized that the Articles of Confederation had weaknesses, but they came to light in 1786.

Shays’ Rebellion Daniel Shays, a veteran of the Revolution and battles such as Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga, was having financial problems. Like many veterans, Shays had gone unpaid for his service in the Revolution.

Farmers in crisis Many farmers like Shays were ending up in debtor’s prison for failure to pay off loans. Shays and other farmers took control of the courthouse to prevent people from losing their homes.

The crisis worsens In January of 1787, Shays and fellow farmers moved to take over an armory in Springfield, MA. The militia guarding the armory fired their cannons, killing some farmers.

How could this happen? The lack of efficient government response to Shays’ Rebellion energized efforts to change the Articles of Confederation.

The Constitutional Convention In May of 1787, delegates from 12 of the states met to amend the Articles It soon became apparent to all that they were writing a new Constitution for America

Notable attendees Some big names were at the Convention. . . George Washington would be elected president of the Convention. James Madison (future 4th president) would be known as the “Father of the Constitution.” Ben Franklin would play a key role in compromises

A divided nation The problems with the Articles had created deep divides amongst many states.

Big states vs small states There was arguments over whether all states should be considered equal (which helped small states) or whether states with more people should have more votes. More people = more votes!! We should all have one vote! New Jersey Virginia

Slave states vs free states There was disagreement over whether or not slaves counted as population, and whether slavery should be allowed at all Leave slavery alone, and let us count them! Slavery is an abomination, and how can you count men that are not free?

Divisions come out in the convention The division between large and small states came out when the delegates were trying to decide how states would be represented in Congress. Two plans for representation were presented, one good for large states, and one good for small states

The Virginia Plan James Madison suggested that the number of representatives for each state be based on their population.

The New Jersey Plan The New Jersey Plan was offered to Counter the Virginia Plan It protected small states by giving each state one vote in Congress. 1 vote = 1 vote

Compromise #1 Roger Sherman proposed a compromise between the two plans called the Great Compromise

The Great Compromise Congress would be bicameral (made up of two bodies). The House of Representatives The Senate The number of a State’s Representatives is based on their population (a big smile from large states) Each State has 2 Senators (making small states happy)

Now we have another problem. . . Slave states wanted their slaves to count as population – meaning they would get more seats in the House. But, they didn’t want them counted for taxes Free states said that was not fair.

Compromise #2 The 3/5 Compromise settled the dispute. It counted all slaves as 3/5th of a person for the purposes of representation and taxes. =

Finally. . . After five months of negotiations, the Constitution was sent to the states to be ratified (approved)