1. Unit 6: The Constitution
Lesson 2: The Constitutional Convention

2. What did we learn from Shays’ Rebellion & the economic depression?
The Articles of Confederation needed to be revised
The biggest problem with the Articles of Confederation was that
it gave too much power to the state govt’s, and not enough power to…
the national/federal gov’t

3. Philadelphia, the most modern city in the country, would host what came to be known as the…
Constitutional Convention

4. Important Info:
A constitution is a document that explains how a gov’t works
It’s like a
for the

5. Why watch this clip? So that you will never forget which state didn't attend the Constitutional Convention
In May, 1787, 12 of the 13 states sent delegates to Philadelphia
Your next question is probably…
Which state didn’t go?
Clue:
Rhode Island’s leaders wanted nothing to do with creating a stronger central gov’t

6. Who were the delegates that went?
55 white men attended one or more sessions of the convention, which lasted from May through September
Many of them were among the best political leaders in the country
They had helped write their state constitutions, and more than half had been in the Continental Congress

7. James Madison of Virginia
George Washington was chosen unanimously to lead the convention
Another very important member was
James Madison of Virginia
Instead of revising the Articles, he favored writing a completely new constitution

8. Madison arrived at the convention with a draft for the new gov’t framework, & many of his ideas became part of the Constitution
His contributions were so important that he earned the nickname
“Father of the Constitution”

9. It didn’t take long for the delegates to realize that Madison was right
The Articles left the central gov’t far too weak to hold a nation together
Rather than trying to amend the old document, an entirely new one had to be written

10. The Virginia Plan legislative, executive, & judicial
Madison’s proposal for the new constitution became known as the Virginia Plan
It called for a strong national gov’t with 3 branches:
legislative, executive, & judicial

11. determines if the laws are carried out fairly
Legislative branch:
makes laws
Executive branch:
carries out the laws
Judicial branch:
determines if the laws are carried out fairly

12. The Virginia Plan The plan called for a 2-house legislature
In both houses, the # of members from each state would be based on population
Who would prefer this plan- large states or small states?
Large population
Large population
Small population
Small population

13. The New Jersey Plan
Like the Virginia Plan, it provided for 3 branches of gov’t
It differed in that it kept the 1-house Congress that had been established under the Articles
No matter how large, each state would have one vote

14. mostly favored large states & a strong central gov’t
Overall, the Virginia Plan
mostly favored large states & a strong central gov’t
So the New Jersey Plan was better for
small states & those who wanted the states to keep a lot of power (weak central gov’t)

15. There was bitter debate over these plans for 2 weeks
Because neither side could find a middle ground, the Constitutional Convention almost collapsed
Ben Franklin actually proposed that each session be opened with a prayer, asking God to guide them in finding a compromise

16. The Great Compromise
On July 2, the convention chose one delegate from each state to form a “grand committee” that would work toward a solution
What they came up with was called “The Great Compromise”

17. The Great Compromise
Congress would be a bicameral legislature (made up of 2 houses)
Upper house =the Senate
Each state, large or small, would have 2 senators
The senators would be chosen by state legislatures
Who do you think liked this part of the Compromise- small states or large states?

18. The Great Compromise House of Representatives population
The large states liked the 2nd part of the plan
Lower House of Congress = the…
House of Representatives
# of representatives from each state was based on
population
The representatives would be chosen directly by the voters in each state

19. The Great Compromise
The Great Compromise was passed in a very close vote on July 16, 1787

20. Now for another problem (oh jeez, what now?)
If a state’s population would determine the # of votes it had in the House of Representatives,
could slaves be counted as part of that population?

21. The North said no
Their economy was mostly based on manufacturing & trade, and workers were mostly free men & women. No slaves
In the South, where the economy was based on farming, there were many African American men & women working on plantations

22. If the South could count slaves as part of their population, they could have more representatives in Congress
At the same time, though, they didn’t want to count slaves as a basis for paying taxes (their slaves were assets that would make their taxes higher)

23. So the South thought slaves should be counted for representation, but not for tax purposes
The North thought just the opposite- that the South should have to pay higher taxes because of their slaves, but they wouldn’t count toward representation

24. The solution that Congress finally agreed upon was called the Three-Fifths Compromise
Only 3/5 of the enslaved people in the South would be counted for both representation & taxation

25. Other Compromises on Slavery
Northerners also agreed that :
Congress couldn’t outlaw the slave trade for 20 years
No state could stop an escaped slave from being returned to his owner

26. Although not everyone liked these compromises, they wanted the Constitution finished so they’d finally have an effective national gov’t
Their desire for a stable gov’t outweighed their desire to act against slavery

27. On September 17, 1787,
after 4 months of hard work, 39 delegates signed the Constitution
It would then go to the states, where 9 out of 13 had to ratify (approve) it before it became law

28. Whatever It Takes to Fix the Gov’t
Although no one seemed completely happy with the new Constitution, most agreed that it was a major improvement
over the Articles of Confederation they hoped it would replace