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How does compromise function in the development of the government?

Who? When? Where? What? Why? 55 delegates from states Summer 1787 Philadelphia, Penn. Political meeting To revise the Articles of Confederation Copy the slide

To create a new constitution, the delegates must resolve a series of issues. Issue #1: How should states be represented in the new government? Issue #2: Should slaves be counted for representation? Issue #3: How should the national executive be elected?

Debate: Should states have equal representation? Should rep. be based on population?

Representation: Speaking or acting on behalf of someone people vote for others to make decisions for them Debate: Should states have equal representation? Should rep. be based on population?

Virginia Plan Larger states Bicameral legislature 2 houses # of reps based on population Bigger states get more votes Strong national executive New Jersey Plan Smaller states Unicameral legislature 1 house Each state has one vote Weak executive Copy the T-chart

Great Compromise Designer: Roger Sherman Bicameral legislature - Congress House of Representatives: Population Senate: 2 reps. from each state * Large states have advantage in the House & smaller states are protected in Senate

North wanted slaves counted for taxation but not representation had fewer slaves than Southern states didn’t want slaves to count toward representation: less votes did want slaves to count toward taxes: more taxes Note: Every 30,000 people get one vote in Congress

South wanted slaves counted for representation but not taxation had more slaves than Northern states did want slaves to count toward representation: more votes didn’t want slaves to count toward taxes: less taxes

3/5’s Compromise Each slave counts as 3/5 of a person So 500 slaves = 300 votes for population Slaves counted for population and taxation Made a mockery of the statement that "all men are created equal" Why??? Seemed the only way to keep the convention moving forward

Who would head the new government's executive branch? James Wilson proposed a single person serve as chief executive Wilson explained that good gov. depends on timely & responsible leadership most likely to be found in a single person Opposition to a single leader Brought to mind memories of King George III Edmund Randolph: 3-member executive 3 people from different parts of the country Benjamin Franklin: "The first man put at the helm will be a good one," said Franklin, thinking of George Washington. "Nobody knows what sort may come afterwards."

Compromise: Single executive, or president Limited the term to 4 years Why? Keep him from becoming a monarch A vice president was also to be elected to fill that term if the president died in office

How to choose James Madison: Congress should appoint him Gouverneur Morris objected: The president "must not be made a flunky of the Congress" Gouverneur Morris: People should elect him James Madison objected: Would vote for someone from their own state and not be fair to small states Others suggested that the president be elected by a specially chosen group of "electors" from each state Compromise Neither Congress nor the people should choose the president and vice president Electoral College

Electors cast the votes Each state’s senators and representatives Left the method of choosing electors up to each state Before 1820, state legislatures chose electors Today, the people choose electors when they vote Originally, electors voted for two candidates without saying which one they preferred for president or vice president most votes became pres.& runner-up became vice pres. caused great confusion in the election of 1800 and was later changed Video

Framers were concerned voters would not know enough about candidates outside their own state to choose a president wisely Within a few years, political parties were nominating candidates and educating voters in every state about them The Electoral College still affects presidential elections In most states, the candidate who gets the most votes gets all of that state's electoral votes A candidate can win a majority in the Electoral College without winning a majority of the votes cast across the country

Articles of Confederation 1. Loose confederation of states 2. 1 vote in Congress for each state (unicameral legislature) 3. 2/3 vote necessary in Congress for all important measures 4. Laws were carried out by congressional committees 5. No congressional power over any commerce 6. No congressional power to levy or collect taxes 7. No federal court system 8. Unanimous vote needed by states to amend the Articles 9. No authority to make individuals and states to comply with federal laws Constitution 1. Firm union of people and states 2. 2 votes in Senate for each state plus a House with representation by population (bicameral legislature) 3. Simple majority needed in Congress on most manners but subject to presidential veto 4. Laws were executed by a powerful president 5. Congress regulates foreign and domestic commerce 6. Extensive congressional power to levy and collect taxes 7. Intricate system of federal courts headed by a US Supreme Court 8. Amendment was available through a variety of mechanisms 9. Ample power to enforce laws concerning states and individuals 22

ratify - approve took 9 of 13 states adopted a two-thirds ratification rule Ratification would be done through specially elected constitutional conventions in each state Federalist Papers Writers: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton & John Jay Urged ratification

Problems: Rhode Island and North Carolina refused to ratify Congress had to threaten them with a high tariff to get them to ratify. US was on its second constitution in a dozen years with little domestic and foreign confidence in the American government Some compromises were built in the Constitution to promote ratification. 25

Thomas Jefferson – strict interpretist national gov should exercise no powers that are not specifically granted in the Constitution all unspoken powers are reserved for the state governments Alexander Hamilton – loose interpretist cited elastic clause of the Constitution Congress may pass any laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its granted powers 26

Constitution makes no mention of how candidates would be chosen to run for President, yet parties have been nominating candidates since the 1796 election. Political parties resulted from ideological clash between Jefferson and Hamilton: interpretation of Constitution financial policy foreign policy Federalists led by Hamilton strong central gov positive relations with England favored upper class Democrat-Republicans led by Jefferson strong state government positive relations with France favored common man

Video: Convention in 10 min

Write an introductory paragraph to the prompt: How does compromise function in the development of the government? Introduce the time period, relevant background, and a thesis statement. After the American Revolution _________. (what gov was created, how did it work?) In response, leaders ___________________. (what did they do?) However, ____________________. (connect to the idea of compromise) Compromise is _______________ (state how it relates to democracy), as demonstrated in the compromises of the convention: _______________, _____________, and _____________.

Prompt: How does compromise function in the development of the government? After the American Revolution ended, the new leaders of the United States of America were faced with the challenge of creating a new nation. In response to problems created by the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in It was here that the founding fathers discussed problems, solutions, and reached compromises. Compromise is an essential component of a democracy, as people with differing ideas come together to participate in government for the good of the nation, as demonstrated in the compromises of the convention: the Great Compromise, the Three-fifths Compromise, and the creation of the Electoral College.