1. Constitutional Convention
1787

2. EQ: What was Georgia’s role at the Constitutional Convention of 1787

3. Who attended? 55 delegates from the 12 states (RI not there)
George Washington was chosen to preside
Benjamin Franklin
Many were not there
(Antifederalists -- NOT in favor of a strong central government)
Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine in Europe
Samuel Adams and John Adams
John Hancock
Patrick Henry (“I smell a rat!”)
Georgians who were there – Abraham Baldwin, William Few, William Pierce and William Houstoun

4. Purpose/Outcome To fix (revise) the Articles of Confederation
The delegates realized they needed a new form of government and decided to write the U.S. Constitution to replace the Articles.
They agreed to keep the record of what was said at the convention a secret for 30 years so that delegates would feel free to express opinions.

5. James Madison Father of the U.S. Constitution Virginia Plan
Came up with a government known as a “republic” or “representative democracy” in which the power of the government belongs to the people who elect representatives to make the laws
Virginia Plan
Strong national government with three branches
Bicameral Congress (both houses based on population)
New Jersey Plan
Keep and fix the Articles of Confederation

6. Problem: How many representatives should each state have in Congress?

7. The Argument
Large states wanted proportional representation in the House and Senate because they had large populations and felt they should have the most votes.
Small states wanted equal representation because they wanted the votes to be fairly divided among the states. (The large states would always win otherwise.)
Abraham Baldwin changed his vote and voted with the small states to create a tie vote so that the problem would have to be fixed.

8. Abraham Baldwin
Abraham Baldwin ( ) was a native of Connecticut. A graduate of Theology from Yale University, Baldwin served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army during the American Revolution. After the war he became a lawyer. Baldwin moved to Georgia in 1784 where he became a successful politician. In 1787, he was one of four Georgians sent to the Constitutional Convention and one of two who signed the document. Starting in 1789, Baldwin served 5 terms as a U.S. Congressman and later two terms as a U.S. Senator. He died in office in 1807.

9. Baldwin, cont.
Baldwin is probably most famous for his role in the creation of the University of Georgia and his position as the University’s first president ( ). Due to Baldwin’s influence, it has been said that many of the early building on the campus of the University of Georgia were modeled after buildings found at his alma mater Yale.

10. William Few
William Few, Jr. ( ) was a soldier, signer of the U.S. Constitution, judge, and legislator for two states. Born in North Carolina, Few’s family moved to Georgia in the mid-1770’s. Few fought in the American Revolution, served as a state legislator, and was appointed as one of Georgia’s representatives in the Constitutional Convention.

11. Though he did not make much of an impression during the proceedings, following the Convention he had a successful political and private career in two states. When he lived in Georgia he served as one of the state’s senators, a state representative, and as a judge. In 1799, due to the urging of his wife who was a native New Yorker, he moved to New York City where he became a member of the New York legislature for four years as well as a bank president. Few lived the remainder of his life in New York. Interestingly, in 1976, to honor the nation’s bicentennial, Few’s remains were moved back to Georgia.

12. Problem: how many representatives should states have?
Solution: Great Compromise (Also called the Connecticut Compromise)
Bicameral Congress
House of Representatives based on proportional representation (population)
Senate based on equal representation
All taxation and spending bills would originate in the House but must be approved by the Senate.
It passed by ONE vote.

13. Problem: how to count the slave population
Southern states wanted to count slaves so they could have more representatives.
Northern states did not want to count slaves because it would give the South an unfair advantage
Solution: Three-Fifths Compromise - total number of free persons would be counted and 3/5 of slaves would be counted
Also decided no more importing slaves, but fugitive slaves should be returned to masters

14. Who should elect the President?
Problem: Who should elect the President? The People or Congress?
Solution: Electoral College – each state would select “electors” based on their numbers in Congress who would vote for the President

16. Other issues debated
Tariffs-A tariff is a tax on imports (goods from foreign countries)
Northern states wanted high tariffs (to make foreign goods more expensive) so that people would by American goods and not foreign goods.
Southern states wanted low tariffs because they wanted to buy from foreign countries since they needed foreign countries to buy their goods (like cotton and tobacco). They feared that foreign countries might place tariffs on crops grown in Southern states making them hard to sell.

17. Other issues debated Slavery
Most northern states had already ended the practice of slavery. The delegates from the North did not want slavery to continue.
Southern states had an agaricultural economy that depended on slavery. They believed that individual states (not Congress) should decide whether or not to allow slavery.

18. Other issues debated How much power should Congress have?
How much power should the president have?
How much power should the judicial branch have?
How much power should the federal government have over state government?

19. 7 principles of the U.S. Government
Popular Sovereignty – supreme power; popular sovereignty means the power belongs to the people
Republicanism – people elect representatives to make political decisions
Federalism – national and state governments share authority; if there is a conflict the national government takes precedence.

20. 7 principles of the U.S. Government
Separation of Powers – responsibility of government is shared by 3 branches
Checks and Balances – each branch has controls over the other two to keep any one branch from becoming too powerful
Limited Government – all elected officials are limited by the Constitution
Individual Rights – people’s rights cannot be taken away by the government

21. Ratification
The Constitution was signed by the delegates in 1787 (William Few and Abraham Baldwin signed from GA) but it then had to be ratified (formally approved) by at least nine state assemblies.
Georgia was the 4th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. (Why so quickly? Many say because they wanted help fighting Indians and Spanish.)
Many states insisted on the promise of a Bill of Rights to protect people from the government before they would ratify.