1. The Constitutional Convention

2. The Constitutional Convention
Constitutional – related to the constitution
Convention – meeting
Therefore it is a Constitution Meeting

3. The Constitutional Convention
A meeting in Philadelphia to fix the Articles of Confederation, to fix the government
Only 12 states sent representatives
Rhode Island did not send anyone

4. The Constitutional Convention
Everyone decided:
The Articles of Confederation were too weak
The Articles of Confederation had many mistakes
Time to write a new national constitution

5. The Constitutional Convention
Ideas for the new federal government
Will have three branches (parts)
Government needs to make laws
Government needs power to carry out the laws
Government needs power to judge the laws
The government needs the power
to get money to do its work

6. The Constitutional Convention
States disagree about:
How to set up each branch
How many votes large and small states get

7. The Constitutional Convention
Compromises the states made to each other:
The Great Compromise
The Three-fifths Compromise
The Slave Trade Compromise

8. The Constitutional Convention
The Great Compromise
The federal government has 2 houses of Congress
In the Senate – all states get 2 votes each – equal
In the House of Representatives – states with more people, get more votes

9. The Constitutional Convention
The Three-Fifths Compromise
States with slaves can count 3/5 of their slaves to help with the population count
This helps get more votes in the House of Representatives

10. The Constitutional Convention
The Slave Trade Compromise
Congress could not end the slave trade for at least 20 years
Congress could make all the rules about trade

11. The Constitutional Convention
The Constitution was DONE!!!

12. Next…
The constitution had to be ratified [accepted or approved] by at least 9 states

13. Ratifying the Constitution
Some people wanted to ratify/accept the constitution
Some people did not want to ratify/accept the constitution

14. Ratifying the Constitution
Federalists – wanted to ratify
Liked the strong national government
Felt the constitution was fair, some power for the national government, some power for the states
Included:
Lawyers
Doctors
Ministers
Wealthy business men
Newspaper owners

15. Ratifying the Constitution
Anti-federalists – against the constitution
Felt the constitution took too much power away from the states
Felt the rights of the people would be taken away
Included:
Farmers
Small business owners
townspeople

16. Ratifying the Constitution
The Federalist Papers
Written by
James Madison
Alexander Hamilton
John Jay
Explained the meeting in Philadelphia
Explained the constitution

17. Ratifying the Constitution
December 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify
Delaware is now called “The First State”

18. Ratifying the Constitution
By summer 1788 – 9 states had ratified the constitution

19. The Constitution Now the supreme (top) law of the land
All 13 states ratified the Constitution
1791 – The Bill of Rights became the first amendment to the Constitution