CONVENTION

-May 1787 Philadelphia

•Loose association of 13 independent states was NOT working

-12 of 13 states

•Rhode Island absent

•Didn’t believe in strong central government

-55 Delegates

•Lawyers, merchants, physicians, generals, governors, college presidents, planters with considerable political experience

•Ben Franklin: oldest delegate, 81 years old

DECISIONS MADE

-rewrite gov’t

• instead of changing Articles of Confederation, they would create a new constitution

-1 vote per state

-keep meeting a secret

•allowed delegates to talk freely

•public was kept out of meetings

-majority rules

•seven votes would decide any vote

ISSUES AT DEBATE

-representation

• Issue: Would congress be created based on population or equal representation

-large states

•Desired congress that is based on population

•Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York

-small states

•Desired equal representation in congress

•New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland

-slavery

•Over 550, 000 African-American slaves in America (mostly in South)

•Southern states wanted to count them as part of their population to increase voting power in House of Representatives

•Northern states opposed the idea (they had few slaves)

-economics

•Northern states felt Congress should be able to regulate trade (foreign and domestic)

•Southern states feared Congress would use power to tax exports (goods sold to other countries) such as tobacco, rice, etc.

PLANS PROPOSED

-Virginia Plan

-James Madison

-3 branches

-bicameral Congress

-population based

-New Jersey Plan

-William Patterson

-small state plan

-equal voting

-group executive

-promoted state’s rights

COMPROMISES

-Great Compromise

-Agreement made at the Convention of 1787 that created a two house legislature with one house based on population and the other based on state equality

- House

Representation based on population (Higher pop. = more representatives)

-Senate

Each state has equal representation

Roger Sherman

COMPROMISES

-3/5 Compromise

-Agreement made at the convention of 1787 that slaves would count as 3/5 a person for the census to determine the population of each state

-Slave Trade Compromise

-Agreement at the convention of 1787 that Congress would not tax exports and slave trading could be banned in 20 years

NEW GOV’T

-much stronger

• in hopes of protecting America from enemies abroad and solve America’s internal problems

-power to tax

-regulate trade

•Federal gov’t regulates trade with other countries and between the states

-strong executive

•President given many powers (in charge of armed forces, can make treaties with other nations, etc.)

-needed 9 of 13 to ratify

RATIFICATION-Federalists

-Political group who supported the passage of the new Constitution and its stronger government

-Supporting states: Georgia, N.J., Delaware, S.C., Conn., Maryland

-Anti-Federalists

-Political group who opposed the new Constitution and thought it lacked a specific list of people’s rights

-Supporting states: N.Y., Mass., N.H., Penn., Va., R.I., N.C.

-Federalist Papers support the new government

-series of essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay

-Bill of Rights promised

-increased support for Constitution

RATIFICATION

-Federalists

-Political group who supported the passage of the new Constitution and its stronger government

-Anti-Federalist

-Political group who opposed the new Constitution and thought it lacked a specific list of people’s rights

-Federalist Papers support the new government

-written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay

-Bill of Rights promisedPatrick Henry