 Identify the key leaders at the Constitutional Convention  Summarize the key issues and their resolution at the Constitutional Convention  Compare the Virginia and New Jersey Plans  Explain the Great Compromise  Define the 3/5 th Compromise  Describe the form of government established by the Constitution  Describe the debate over ratification of the Constitution, and the views of the opposing sides.  Explain the purpose of the Bill of Rights, and identify the documents that informed it.

 The Founding Fathers made two attempts to establish a workable government based on republican principles  The failure of the Articles of Confederation led to a new Constitutional Convention  During the fall of 1787 Congressman met in Philadelphia to address the issues of the Articles of Confederation.  They created a new form of government.

 Key leaders at the Convention:  George Washington:  P resident (chairman) of the Convention  Quiet but very respected;  Kept tempers cool  James Madison : “The Father of the Constitution”  Author of the Virginia Plan (three branches of govt)  Kept detailed notes! Brilliant!  Would later write the Bill of Rights  Constitutional Compromises They had to balance a lot of competing interests.

Constitutional Compromises: Balancing Power Between Large and Small States Virginia Plan: 2 houses of Congress (bicameral): House of Representatives Senate Representation determined by population size in both houses More people  more reps! Big states liked this! The Great Compromise How should states be represented in the govt? Also called Connecticut Compromise 2 houses of Congress (bicameral): House of Representatives and a Senate Senate: House of Reps Equal representation in Senate - Representation based on pop Each State gets two Senators- More people  more reps! Elected by the state legislature/assembly- Reps elected by the people New Jersey Plan: 1 house of Congress (unicameral): House of Representatives only Representation determined by state: equal representation (like the AoC) One state  one vote! Small states liked this!

Constitutional Convention – Conflicts and Compromises Northern States: Slaves should NOT be counted for representation, but SHOULD be counted for taxation. This position was best for the non-slavery states (mostly northern and smaller). Southern States: Slaves SHOULD be counted for representation, but they should NOT be counted for taxation. This position was best for the slave-holding states (mostly southern with large #’s of slaves). Three-Fifths (3/5 th ) Compromise How should population be counted for representation and taxation? Count some of the slaves. For every 5 slaves, 3 would be counted for population and taxation. Constitutional Compromises: Balancing Sectional (Regional) Interests of the States

 Federal law is the supreme law of the land, as long as it follows the Constitution. States have a lot of power to govern themselves, but they can’t go against a Federal law.  Popular Sovereignty (Rule by the people) Power comes from the people’s consent  Limited Government Limited the powers of the Government to those powers in the Constitution

 Separation of Powers Three co-equal branches of government Legislative : Congress (makes the law)  Senate and House of Representatives Executive: President (enforces the law) Judicial : Supreme Court (interprets the law)  Checks and Balances Each branch has some control over the others No branch can get too powerful

 Judicial Review The courts (judicial branch) can declare laws unconstitutional This was added a few years later; not in the Constitution!  Federalism Power is shared between levels of government: the national government and the states

National Govt State Govts

 What was the location of the Constitutional Convention?  Who presided over the convention as chairman…why was he chosen?  What were the main issues discussed at the convention?  What did Great Compromise do?  What are the basic principles of the Constitution?

 Ratification = Official approval  Read the handout Ratifying the Constitution and answer the questions on the separate page.

 Before the Constitution could be put into practice, it must be ratified, or officially approved by the states. Each state set up a convention to approve or reject the Constitution Nine states had to accept the Constitution for it to be ratified Debate over Constitution -- (Federalists and Anti-federalists) – What were their arguments?

 Strong central government was good for solving national issues: Order and national security Economic development Commerce between states Did NOT need a Bill of Rights, b/c the Constitution already protected citizens.  Separation of powers, checks & balances, and federalism protected states and citizens from a govt that was too powerful  Major Federalists:  George Washington  **Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay** (wrote Federalist Papers to support ratification)

 Feared that a strong central government would take away rights of citizens and states, and would favor the rich and powerful WANTED a Bill of Rights to protect individuals from power of govt. Refused to ratify w/o it (NY & VA)  Major Anti-Federalists: Patrick Henry, George Mason  * James Madison eventually agreed with them, and wrote the Bill of Rights!

 After the Federalists promise to add a Bill of Rights, states begin to ratify the Constitution (Delaware is 1 st )  Bill of Rights is written by James Madison (a Federalist)  Heavily influenced by two Virginia documents: The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) by George Mason The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom (1786) by Thomas Jefferson

 Review The VA Declaration of Rights and the VA Statute of Religious Freedom The Bill of Rights  How did these two documents influence the Bill of Rights and other founding principles of the United States?

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