1. Ratifying the Constitution How the government is run

2. The Articles of Confederation It was an agreement among the 13 founding states that established the U.S. as a nation and served as its first constitution. It gave validity to the Continental Congress to direct the American Revolutionary War, conduct diplomacy with Europe and deal with territorial issues and Indian claims. – The confederation type of government proved to be too weak and in 1789 it was replaced by the federal government with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.

3. The Virginia Plan The Virginia Plan (also known as the Large- State Plan) was a proposal by Virginia delegates, for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan was drafted by James Madison He setting forth the idea of population-based representation in the proposed national legislature – because they paid more taxes

4. States with a large population, like Virginia (which was the most populous state at the time), would thus have more representatives than smaller states. Large states supported this plan, but smaller states, feared losing power in the national government

5. The New Jersey Plan The New Jersey Plan (also known as the Small State Plan) was a proposal for the structure of the U.S. Government – The plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan's The less populous states were opposed to giving most of the control of the national government to the larger states The alternate plan that would have given one vote per state for equal representation under one legislative body (i.e., a Unicameral Legislature).

6. The Connecticut Compromise The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement between large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 it defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the Constitution. It retained the bicameral legislature as proposed by James Madison, along with proportional representation in the lower house(congressmen), but required the upper house to be weighted equally between the states.(senators)

7. The Three-Fifths compromise It was a compromise between Southern and Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of Three-fifths of the population of slaves would be counted for record purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives.