1. The Well Bred, the well wed, and the well fed Meet
All states except Rhode Island send delegates to Philadelphia in May 1787 to amend the Articles of Confederation- becomes the Constitutional Convention
55 white men
Mostly wealthy lawyers, merchants and planters
“the well bred, the well fed, the well read, and the well wed”
More than half attended college
23 had studied law; Average age 42
Youngest was 26 – Jonathan Dayton
Oldest was Franklin, 81

2. James Madison- “Father of the Constitution”
BRILLIANT
PREPARED
Arrives with “Virginia Plan”
Day One: calls for a new Constitution to be written
James Madison, Jefferson's secretary of state.. IRC unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <

3. George Washington- “President of the Convention”
“out of retirement” for his country
Gives legitimacy to the Convention
Most think he will be 1st president- trust him
George Washington at Princeton, early IRC unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <

4. Ben Franklin- The Gracious Host
Big name- adds credibility
Held private meetings at home behind the scenes
Second most famous American in the world after Washington
Had been involved in almost every major moment of American history in 1700s
Had several dinners and luncheons at his renovated Philadelphia home
Image courtesy of American Philosphical Society

5. Alexander Hamilton Supported VERY strong Federal government.
Wrote Federalist Papers with Madison to help get Constitution ratified
Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury.. IRC unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <
Bank of the United States at Philadelphia, IRC unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <

6. Constitutional Re-enactment:
Each member of your group will be playing the role of an actual delegate in 1787.
Conflicts arose between
Large and small states
Southern (slave) and Northern (free) states
For each of three issues, you and your group must come up with a solution that all can accept (COMPROMISE)

7. Constitutional Convention May 1787, Philadelphia
What issues did the delegates face at the Constitutional Convention?
What were the key compromises/ decisions that were made?

8. Roles:
Moderator- makes sure all members of group put in their “two cents”
Pacer- keep an eye on the clock- ten minutes per issue maximum
Head Compromiser- leads the discussion to find a solution that is okay with all
Recorder- clearly writes down solution with an explanation…

9. Tuesday, October 3

10. Task 2
(2 pts) For each issue, come up with a plan that all members (small/ large, north/south) could agree on.
(3 pts) Provide an explanation for your plan. For full credit, this needs to be specific. How would delegates from both sides accept your plan? How is it a compromise

11. VA Plan (big states) v. NJ Plan (small) VA Plan- 2 “houses”
ISSUE #1: Representation in CONGRESS (law making body)- BIG STATES V SMALL STATES
VA Plan (big states) v. NJ Plan (small)
VA Plan- 2 “houses”
Lower House- elected by voters
Upper House- appointed by Lower House
# OF MEMBERS FROM EACH STATE BASED ON POPULATION
NJ Plan- 1 “house” (like Articles of Conf.)
EACH STATE GETS SAME # OF VOTES

12. ISSUE 1- CREATE CONGRESS (LAW MAKING BODY)
How many “houses” in Congress?
(Laws passed have to go through each house. If more than one house describe each house, and be able to explain why you made them.)
MOST CONTENTIOUS ISSUE: Should all states have equal representation (SMALL STATES LIKE), or should larger states have more members (BIG STATES LIKE)? Should it be different for the different houses, if applicable?
How should members be elected?
(do you trust “the people” with direct elections? If so, who gets to vote? Should the “lower house” appoint members to the “upper house” (Virginia Plan); should state governments appoint representatives? Other? Should it be different for the different houses, if applicable?)
How long should their terms in office be? (Should it be different for the different houses, if applicable?)

13. 1- Representation? THE GREAT COMPROMISE
BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE (two houses)
House of Representatives (lower house)
Number of members based on population of state
Directly elected by citizens
Elections every two years
Senate (upper house)
Each state has two members
Appointed by state legislatures (changed w/ 17th amendment)
1/3 of the Senators have elections every six years

14. Issue #2: SLAVE STATES V. FREE STATES
Should slaves count as part of the population for taxing states? (the higher the population of a state, the more taxes they would have to chip in)
Should slaves count as part of the population for representation in Congress? (Slave states think they should; free states argue that this would give free whites more power)
Should the federal Congress be able to regulate trade? (make laws regarding imports and exports of slaves to the country)
If Congress can regulate trade, can they ban the importation of slaves?
Should Congress be able to make laws about slavery in general, or should that be left up to the states?

15. 2- Slaves counted in population?/ Commerce regulation
3/5 Compromise:
Each slave counts as 3/5 of a person when deciding how many representatives a state gets in the House and for taxation
Can Congress regulate the slave trade?
The slave trade (importing slaves) cannot be touched for 20 years (until 1808)
Slavery itself?- left up to states

16. Issue #3: What about the Executive branch?
How many executives should there be?
How should they/ (s)he be chosen?
How long should the term of office be?
Should they be eligible for re-election? How many times?
What powers should be given?

17. 5- The Executive Branch One “president”
chosen by electoral college (not by direct vote of people)
4 year terms
No term limit until 22nd Amendment (1951)
Fairly powerful president (we’ll get into specifics later)