1. Compromises of the Constitution
Its all about the ……
give and take!!

2. Go Big or Go Home!! VA Plan *Bicameral Legislature
*Amount of votes allowed through Population (the more people in the State – the more votes that State gets)
*Strong Central Gov’t
*Author: J. Madison

3. Good Things come in Small Packages
NJ Plan
*Unicameral Legislature
*Equality voting: Each State is ONLY allowed ONE vote no matter how big the population is.
*Strong Central Gov’t
*Author: William Paterson

4. You got to give a little to get a little
Great Compromise
*Combine the ideas of NJ & VA Plans
*Created:
*Bicameral Legislature
*Upper House (Senate) = Equal votes/Reps
*Lower House (H of R) = Votes/Reps according to Population of each State.
*Strong Central Gov’t

5. Its all about the Fractions
3/5 Compromise
*Slave Populations will be counted as 3/5 of each “person” or amount of slaves in one area.
*Allows Slave states to gain an advantage – the more slaves = higher votes/representation in the Gov’t.

6. Separate but equal Branches Judicial, Executive, Legislative
*According to great thinkers such as Aristotle, a single ruler may have been the tradition but it is not what is best for the people.
*Separating the powers in the gov’t according to what they are responsible for helps to “contain” that power.
*Three Branches:
Judicial, Executive, Legislative

7. To Divide & Conquer
Separation of Powers
*In order for NO branch to gain too much power in the Gov’t
*Each branch has its own responsibilities:
Executive (President) – Executes the laws
Legislative (Congress) – Creates the laws
Judicial (Supreme Court) – Interprets the laws

8. Its good to know how the “other half lives”
Check & Balances
*To continue the prevention of ONE part of the gov’t gaining too much power over the others – each branch can “check” each other and “balance” their powers.
*Ex: Congress makes the laws in which the President can veto while the Supreme Court decides if they are allowed by the Constitution.

9. Be part of the solution NOT the problem
Electoral College
*According to the great philosophers and enlightened thinkers, there should be indirect elections when voting for a leader/gov’t.
*It prevents anyone from being able to “maneuver” the voting procedure.
*It also allows for a larger voting audience.

10. To be a good leader is to know when to delegate
Federal Powers
*Delegated powers – powers given to the Central/Federal Gov’t to help control, run and effectively build our nation.
(See the textbook for specific powers)

11. Power in the hands of the people
State Powers
*Reserved powers – powers NOT given to the Central/Federal Gov’t are granted to the States in order to allow for freedom of States as well as people.
(See the textbook for specific powers)

12. Going back to Kindergarten…..Sharing
Shared Powers
*Concurrent powers – powers that are shared by BOTH the Central/Federal Gov’t and the States to ensure the balance of the nation’s powers.
(See the textbook for specific powers)