9.4 The Constitutional Convention (pt. 2) pp. 263-266

Objective: Outline the compromises that make up the Constitution.

Don’t let this happen to you!

9.1: (textbook pages 250-254) 1. Define constitutions— 2. After the Revolution, what group was the only one to enjoy the full benefits of citizenship? 3. What was the name of our first national constitution? 4. Define ratify— 5. What were three weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

9.2: (textbook pages 255-259) 6. What legislation provided a more orderly way for selling and settling land north of the Ohio River? 7. What did the revenue from the sale of one section in every township support? 8. What legislation set up provisions for governing the Northwest Territory? 9. Define republic— 10. What practice was prohibited in the Northwest Territory? 11. Define economic depression— 12. What was the name of the uprising by Massachusetts farmers that revealed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

9.3: (textbook pages 260-263) 13. In what city and in what year did the Constitutional Convention meet? 14. How many delegates attended? 15. Who was the oldest delegate to attend the convention? 16. Who presided over the Constitutional Convention? 17. Who earned the nickname “Father of the Constitution”?

A. The Virginia Plan (pp. 263-264) Edmund Randolph’s Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with three branches: legislative (Congress), executive (President), and judicial (courts). The Virginia Plan also called for a two-house (or bicameral) legislature in which representation would be based on a state’s population. Large states would have more representation—and power—than smaller ones.

B. The New Jersey Plan (pp. 264-265) Delegates from small states supported William Paterson’s counterproposal called the New Jersey Plan. It also called for three branches of government, but only a one-house legislature. No matter how large, each state would have one vote in the legislature.

C. Two Plans of Government [Double Bubble Map] 2-house legislature 1-house legislature Called for a strong national government number of representatives determined by population Virginia (large state) Plan New Jersey (small state) Plan One vote per state Three branches of government Favored large states Put large and small states on an equal footing Textbook pages 263-265

D. The Great Compromise (p. 265) A committee was selected to work out a compromise, an agreement in which each side agrees to give up something to gain something more important. The committee’s solution became known as the Great Compromise. Small states were pleased by the Senate, where each state, large or small, would be represented by two senators. Larger states liked the House of Representatives, where the number of seats available to each state would be based on population.

E. The Three-Fifths Compromise (pp. 265-266) Southerners wanted to count slaves as part of their population so that they could have more representatives in Congress. They did not want to count slaves as a basis for paying taxes to the national government, though. With the Three-Fifths Compromise, only three-fifths of the enslaved people in Southern states would be counted for both representation and taxation.

F. Signing the Constitution (p. 266) On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates signed the new Constitution. Now the new Constitution would go to the states, where at least 9 of the 13 states would have to ratify it before it could become the law of the land. No one seemed completely happy with the final plan, but most agreed it was a vast improvement on the Articles they hoped it would replace.

Review: What disagreements did large and small states have at the Constitutional Convention? How did the Great Compromise resolve these differences? What was the Three-Fifths Compromise? When was the Constitution signed?