Failures of the Articles of Confederation CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION PROBLEMS AT THE CONVENTION VA PLAN NJ PLAN CT PLAN COMMERCE COMPROMISE 3/5

FAILURE OF ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION State governments too powerful: – Power to tax: – Power to regulate trade: – Power to dictate policy to national government: – Power to raise militia:

NEED FOR A STRONGER NATIONAL GOVERNMENT Great Britain was waiting for the United States to fail: Large states taking advantage of small states: Jealousy kept states from working together: U-N-I-T-E-D STATES was not united:

Government officials realized after Shays’ Rebellion that a change was needed A convention of representatives from each state were called to Philadelphia in 1787

SOLUTION

STATEHOUSE IN PHILADELPHIA SITE OF THE CONVENTION

There were 74 men asked to come to Philadelphia but only delegates arrived in Philadelphia

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

The average age of a delegate was 44 years old

JONATHAN DAYTON (New Jersey) was the youngest at age 26 BEN FRANKLIN (Pennsylvania) was the oldest at age 81

Most had some experience as politicians in their home states

40 of the delegates had been members of the Continental Congress

34 of the 55 were lawyers Also included soldiers, planters, educators, ministers, physicians, financiers, and merchants

Most were very wealthy and many owned slaves

All the delegates were white men

None of the delegates were African- Americans, Hispanic, women, poor

GUIDELINES FOR THE CONVENTION Work of the Convention would remain a secret: White, highly educated, successful men with political experience would be sent: A majority vote was required on an issue: George Washington would preside over the Convention:

PROBLEMS AT THE CONVENTION Small States and Large States cannot agree on representation; Northern States and Southern States cannot agree on the issue of slavery and commerce; Federalist and Anti-Federalist cannot agree on the power of the National Government:

 Bicameral Legislature (Two – houses)  Both houses will base representation on population with equal number of representatives in each house  Will have a president, legislature, and court system—Three Branches of Government!  Chief executive chosen by legislature and court system Proposed by: Edmund Randolf

 Unicameral Legislature (One – house)  Representation in legislature will be the same for all states  Congress could tax and regulate trade Proposed by: William Patterson

 Resolved Virginia and New Jersey Plans  Bicameral legislature (Two – houses)  Representation in one house (the House of Representatives) will be determined by population (representative elected by the people)  Representation in the other house (the Senate) will be the same for each state (two per state, elected by the state legislature) Proposed by: Roger Sherman

Fixing problems with commerce and trade  Congress was allowed to regulate interstate and foreign trade.  Congress could tax imports, but not exports  Congress was forbidden to restrict the importation of slaves for 20 years, but could levy a tax, for every imported slave as much as $10.  Slaves were not considered free if they ran away to a free state, but rather had to be returned if caught.

 Three-Fifths Compromise  Counted every 5 slaves as 3 free persons for taxation and representation purposes in Congress.

 Elected by Congress??  Elected by the people??  Compromise: The Electoral College

 Anti-Federalists disapproved  wanted a Bill of Rights added  Federalists fought against Anti- Federalists  9 out of the 13 states needed to approve the constitution before it would take affect

 Federalists wrote a series of essays “The Federalist Papers” convincing people to support the ratification of the Constitution  Federalists agreed to add a Bill of Rights soon after ratification

March 4, 1789, the government began operations.