Warm-Up #3 ISN 59
1. List what you
see.
2. What does each item 3. What is the
on your list represent? cartoonist’s message?
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The Constitutional Convention, 1787
Independence Hall
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Delegates To The Convention
Read Pages 209-210
• Opening day- May 25, 1787
• Purpose – to revise the Articles of
Confederation
Number of delegates- 55
President of the Convention- George
Washington
Known as the “Father of the Constitution”James Madison
Debating at the Convention was done in secret.
TWO RIVAL PLANS
• Delegates decided to write an entirely new
Constitution.
• Argument: How to structure representation
in the Legislative Branch
• Two different plans
proposed Both called for…
Center Circle: Strong national
government with 3 branches.
Review :
• 1. Legislative branch- Pass laws- Congress
• 2. Executive branch – carry out laws- President
• 3. Judicial branch - Decides if laws are fair- Courts
• Plan #1 —Virginia Plan
Proposed by
Edmund Randolph
and James Madison
• The legislative branch would have 2
houses (groups)
Number of seats (representatives) each
state gets is determined by population.
Large (BIG) states
Plan #2 – New Jersey Plan
New Jersey plan proposed by William
Patterson
Legislature would be 1 house.
Each state would have equal representation
• Small states opposed the Virginia Plan
• Why? They would always be outvoted by
bigger states.
Silent Debate
Partner A = Bigger States
Partner B= Smaller States
Pass a note back and forth debating the following questions
concerning representation in the Legislative Branch.
1. Which plan do you support and why?
Partner A: I support the _________________Plan
because_____________________________.
Partner B: I support the ___________________Plan because
____________________________________.
2. Defend which Plan you support.
Partner A: The ________________________Plan is better
because ________________________________________.
Partner B: The _________________________Plan is better
because __________________________________.
The Great Compromise
• Compromise- a settlement in which
each side gives up some of its
demands in order to reach an
agreement.
• Proposed by Roger Sherman
• 3 branches– with Legislative branch
having 2 houses.
• Lower House called
House of Representatives
• Elected by popular vote.
• Seats awarded to each state
according to population
• Appealed to bigger states.
•Upper House called SENATE
Chosen by state legislators
Each state has 2
Appealed to smaller states
Northern and Southern Compromises
•Most serious
disagreement over slavery.
•Argument #1 = Would
slaves be counted as part
of the state’s population.
Silent
Debate
Partner A = Northern States
Partner B= Southern States
Pass a note back and forth debating the following
questions concerning if slaves should be counted as
part of the state’s population to go towards
representation in the legislative branch.
1. Should slaves be counted as part of the states
population?
Partner A: Slaves should/should not be counted as
part of the states population
because________________________.
Partner B: Slaves should/should not be counted as
part of a states population because _____________.
• South said: Yes- count all slaves!
• Why? It would give South more votes in the
House of Representatives
• North said: NO Can’t count slaves
because they don’t vote.
• COMPROMISE
• Count 3/5 of the slaves
(Example out of 5,000 slaves 3,000 count)
3/5 COMPROMISE
Silent
Debate
Partner A = Northern States
Partner B= Southern States
Pass a note back and forth debating the following
questions concerning if slaves should be counted as
part of the state’s population to go towards
representation in the legislative branch.
1. Should the slave trade continue to bring enslaved
Africans into the United States?
Partner A: The slave trade should/should not
continue because_________________________.
Partner B: The slave trade should/should not
continue because_________________________.
Argument #2
Would the slave trade continue to bring
enslaved Africans into the United States?
• North: Ban slave trade
• South: Continue to bring in slaves
because they economy depended on it
• Compromise: Slave trade continue for 20
years. After that Congress would
regulate. Fugitive slaves should be
returned.
SLAVE TRADE COMPROMISE
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Signing The Constitution
• Constitution signed on September 17,
1787
• Preamble expressed goals of the
framers.
• 3 delegates refused to sign because
they feared the new national
government was too strong
• Next step- approval by the states.
• When 9 of the 13 approved (ratified)
the Constitution, it would go into effect.
T.O.D.
What issues of the
Constitutional
Convention of 1787
were resolved by
compromises?