1. Convention Compromises

2. Two Plans for Government
Virginia Plan (“Big State”)
New Jersey Plan (“Small State”)
Three branches of government.
Bicameral (two part) legislature.
Representation based on population of state.
Unicameral legislature
Representation equal for all states (one vote per state)
Gave federal government more limited powers

3. Great Compromise
Delegates accepted the Virginia Plan as the basis of the new government, but argued over the plan for representation in Congress.
Small states feared that if it were based on population, the larger states would totally dominate the government.
A compromise was reached: the Senate would have equal representation for each state (two votes), and the House of Representatives would have delegates based on population… a bicameral legislature!

4. What about the Slaves?
Representation
Taxation
Federal taxes on the states were based on population – more population meant more taxes.
Do slaves count as “population?”
Southern states say “No!”
Northern states say “Yes!”
Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on population – but do slaves count as “population?”
Southern states say “Yes!”
Northern states say “No!”

5. Three-Fifths Compromise
Another compromise was needed, over how to count slaves in the population of a state for taxes and representation.
The final agreement was that a slave would count as 3/5 of a free person – that is, five slaves would count as three people in the population.
Why do you think the North and South differed on their ‘values’ of slaves?