Constitutional Convention!
Directions: You are going to be one of the founding fathers in attendance at the
Constitutional Convention. Use the information on your card, from the book, and
from our class discussion to complete this page.
8.5 – Issue: How should the states be represented in the new government?
How did the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan differ?
VA Plan
• Representation in Congress should be determined by states’ population
• Large states liked this plan
NJ Plan
• Representation in Congress would be equal for every state
•Small states liked this plan
8.6 – Resolution: The Great Compromise
What compromise did the delegates create to resolve the issue of state
representation?
The Great Compromise
Congress would have two parts: The Senate and the House of Representatives
The Senate would have equal representation for each state
The House of Representatives would have representation based on population
8.7 – Issue: How should slaves be counted?
How did the views of delegates from northern states differ from those of delegates
from southern states on this issue?
Southern states – wanted enslaved African Americans to be counted as people for
population. This would create more votes for southern states.
Northern states – wanted enslaved African Americans to be taxed like anything else
that was considered property.
8.8 – Resolution: The Three-Fifths Compromise
What compromise did the delegates create to resolve this issue?
The Three-Fifths Compromise - enslaved African Americans would be counted as
3/5 of a person.
For example, a white American would count as 1 toward a state’s population. An
enslaved African American would count as 0.6 toward a state’s population.