Origins of the Constitution I. Articles of Confederation Problems II. Constitutional Convention (1787) A.Background B.Who? C.Controversy & Compromise 1.Representation/Congress 2.Slavery 3.Presidential/Electoral Compromise III. Conc. Key Terms Republic Washington Madison Franklin Virginia Plan Great Compromise 3/5 Compromise Electoral College

Some Problems With the Articles of Confederation 1.Each state had one vote (regardless of its population) 2.There were neither Executive nor Judicial Branches 3.The national government did not have the power to tax; states could coin own money & conduct foreign policy Articles of Confederation

Where did they meet…? Philadelphia = Independence Hall

One Philosophy Prevailed Eligible citizens elect representatives who make decisions & establish policies for them Republic

Who was at the Constitutional Convention? Washington presided over the Convention as its chairman George Washington

Who was at the Constitutional Convention? Ben Franklin James Madison

Who was NOT at the Constitutional Convention? Thomas Jefferson Jefferson was the US Ambassador to France

Which individual had the greatest impact on the Constitution…? James Madison

Controversy: Representation in Congress Virginia Plan (Madison) 1.Eliminate the Articles of Confederation 2.Separate the National Government into three branches: Legislative (most powerful), Executive & Judicial James Madison 3.Representation in the Legislative Branch would be determined entirely by a state’s population

Separation of Powers (Madison’s Virginia Plan) Legislative (most powerful) ExecutiveJudicial The number of Reps for each state is based on state’s population

Solution = Great Compromise Separate the Legislative Branch into two sections: –House of Representatives (based on population) –Senate (two for each state) Ben Franklin

Solution = Great Compromise (Franklin) LegislativeExecutiveJudicial House of Representatives Based on population Senate Two for each state

Controversy: How to Count Slaves? Solution = 3/5 Compromise One slave is equal to 3/5 of a person when determining a state’s population Torture Mask

Controversy: Chief Executive LegislativeExecutive ???? Judicial House of Representatives ????????????? Senate

Controversy: Chief Executive LegislativeExecutive (President) Judicial House of Representatives How to choose? Electoral College Senate

Two Key Concepts: How The Electoral College Works 1.In order to win a Presidential election a candidate must win a majority of electoral votes (270). 2.The candidate who wins the most popular votes in a state wins ALL of that state’s pledged electoral votes.

MICHIGAN’S ELECTORAL VOTES 15 Members of the US House of Reps 2 _US Senators 17 Electoral Votes The Electoral College & The States (Michigan as an example)

STATE Alabama99 Alaska33 Arizona810 Arkansas66 California5455 Colorado89 Connecticut88 Delaware33 WA DC33 Florida2527 Georgia1315 Hawaii44 Idaho44 STATE Illinois2221 Indiana1211 Iowa77 Kansas66 Kentucky88 Louisiana99 Maine44 Maryland10 Massachusetts12 Michigan1817 Minnesota10 Mississippi76 Distribution of Electoral Votes

STATE Missouri11 Montana33 Nebraska55 Nevada45 New Hampshire44 New Jersey15 New Mexico55 New York3331 North Carolina1415 North Dakota33 Ohio2120 Oklahoma87 Oregon77 STATE Pennsylvania2321 Rhode Island44 South Carolina88 South Dakota33 Tennessee11 Texas3234 Utah55 Vermont33 Virginia13 Washington11 West Virginia55 Wisconsin1110 Wyoming33 Distribution of Electoral Votes

Electoral College Michigan and the Presidential Election of 2008 CandidatePopular Vote Obama57% McCain41% Others 1% So, Barack Obama received ALL 17 of Michigan’s pledged electoral votes.

Presidential Election Results 2008 Election CandidateElectoral Vote Popular Vote* Obama % McCain % Others 0 1% * Voter turn-out was VERY high: about 136 million 64% of eligible voters

Other Presidential Election Results 2000 Election CandidateElectoral Vote Popular Vote* Bush271 48% Gore % Others 0 3.5% * Gore received about 500,000 more popular votes.

Other Presidential Election Results 1860 Election (156 = Majority) CandidateElectoral VotePopular Vote Abraham Lincoln % Stephen Douglas % John Breckenridge %

If no candidate wins a majority of the Electoral Votes, then: 1.The US House of Representatives chooses the next President among the top three finishers 2.The US Senate chooses the next Vice President among the top two finishers for VP Electoral College

Origins of the Constitution I. Articles of Confederation Problems II. Constitutional Convention (1787) A.Background B.Who? C.Controversy & Compromise 1.Representation/Congress 2.Slavery 3.Presidential/Electoral Compromise III. Conc. Key Terms Republic Washington Madison Franklin Virginia Plan Great Compromise 3/5 Compromise Electoral College