1. Drafting the Constitution

2. The Constitutional Convention
(Philadelphia, PA)
Presiding Officer: George Washington
When? Summer of 1787
Who? 55 Delegates representing 12 states (no RI)
“Father of the Constitution”: James Madison

3. Representation of States in Congress
Two houses of Congress, both with proportional representation (based on population)
The New Jersey Plan
One house of Congress with equal representation for each state

4. The Great Compromise (Connecticut)
Congress has two houses (BICAMERAL)
Senate: Equal representation for all states
House of Representatives: Based on population
Senate
House of Reps

6. Slavery
Problem: How to count slaves for purposes of representation and taxation
North: Slaves should NOT count towards the total population of a state
South: Slaves SHOULD count towards the total population of a state (more people = more representatives)

7. Three-Fifth’s (3/5) Compromise
3/5 of slaves will be counted to determine representation and taxation
1 slave = 3/5 of a person, 5 slaves = 3 people

8. Three-Fifth’s (3/5) Compromise
3/5 of slaves will be counted to determine representation and taxation
1 slave = 3/5 of a person, 5 slaves = 3 people

9. Three-Fifth’s (3/5) Compromise
Delegates also agreed that the slave trade would not be banned or discussed for at least 20 years.

10. Ratifying the Constitution
Federalists:
- Support the Constitution
- Believe a stronger government is necessary to run the country
Anti-Federalists:
- Do not support the Constitution
- Afraid of a government that is too strong that could take rights from the people

11. The Federalist Papers
Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Reasons to support the Constitution

12. Final Ratification
- Federalists agree to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution to protect individual freedoms
- Needed 9 states to ratify in order for the Constitution to take effect
- 1st State to Ratify: Delaware
9th State: New Hampshire
North Carolina – 12th
Rhode Island – 13th

13. The Electoral College Should people vote directly on
who will be President? Do they
know enough about the candidates and issues?
Should only educated delegates from each state vote on who would be the best President?

14. The Electoral College
Each state has a certain number of “electors” who cast votes (based on the popular vote in their state)
Candidates win votes from each state until they reach the majority needed to win (# of votes per state = # of representatives in Congress)
Currently, a candidate must win 270 out of 438 possible votes in order to win and become President.

15. The Electoral College
Many people feel that the Electoral College system should be ended and that the President should be chosen by a popular vote.
One argument in favor of keeping it is so that candidates must appeal to a broader variety of people across the country, not just those in urban areas where the most people live. The Electoral College gives a little more power to rural states than they would have under a popular vote system.
Wyoming Population: 544,270
US Population: 307,006,550
WY % of Overall Pop: %
Wyoming Electoral Votes: 3
US Total Electoral Votes: 535
WY % of Overall EC Votes: 0.56%
WY: 1 EC Vote per 181,000 people
US: 1 EC Vote per 573,844 people

16. The Electoral College: 2000 Election
It is possible for a candidate to win more popular votes than another but still lose the Electoral Vote and not become President. How?
George W. Bush
Al Gore

17. The Electoral College: 2000 Election

18. Final Ratification: Making It Official!
- Needed 9 states to ratify in order for the Constitution to take effect
- 1st State to Ratify: Delaware
9th State: New Hampshire
North Carolina – 12th
Rhode Island – 13th