Building a New Nation
The Constitutional Convention
Class Objectives
• Identify the key leaders at the Constitutional Convention
• Summarize the key issues and their resolution at the Constitutional
Convention
• Compare the Virginia and New Jersey Plans
• Explain the Great Compromise
• Define the 3/5th Compromise
• Explain the compromise on commerce & the slave trade
• Describe the form of government established by the Constitution
• Describe the debate over ratification of the Constitution, and the views
of the opposing sides.
• Explain the purpose of the Bill of Rights, and identify the documents
that informed it.
Constitutional Convention
• During the Constitutional Era, the
Founding Fathers made two attempts
to establish a workable government
based on republican principles
• The failure of the Articles of
Confederation led to a new
Constitutional Convention
• During the fall of 1787 Congressman
convened in Philadelphia to address
the issues of the Articles of
Confederation . They ultimately
created a new form of government.
• Do you think it was easy?????
Activity
• Film Clip – The Constitutional Convention, 1787
– Note the roles of key leaders at the Convention:
• George Washington:
– President (chairman) of the Convention
– Quiet but very respected; kept tempers cool
• James Madison: “The Father of the Constitution”
– Author of the Virginia Plan (three branches of govt)
– Kept detailed notes! Brilliant!
– Would later author the Bill of Rights
• Constitutional Compromises
– Handouts A, B, C – what do you think?
– What actually happened?
Constitutional Convention – Conflicts and Compromises
Virginia Plan:
• 3 separate branches: Exec,Leg,Judicial
• Bicameral (2 houses) legislature,
House of Representatives & Senate
• Representation based on
population size in both houses
• More people  more reps
• Big states liked this!
Northern States:
• Slaves should NOT be counted for
representation, but they SHOULD
be counted for taxation.
• This position was best for the nonslavery states (mostly northern
and smaller).
Northern States
• Wanted government to regulate
business, to help northern industry
• Some northerners wanted the govt to
end the slave trade, but all wanted to
protect their own property rights
• Most northerners did not want to have
to return escaped slaves to owners
Great Compromise
How should states be represented in the govt?
• Bicameral legislature with 2 houses:
House of Representatives & Senate
• Representation based on pop. in House of Reps
• Equal representation in Senate
(each State gets two Senators)
• Also called Connecticut Compromise
Three-Fifths (3/5th) Compromise
How should population be counted for
representation and taxation?
• Count some of the slaves. For every
5 slaves, 3 would be counted for
population and taxation.
Slave Trade & Commerce
Compromise
Should the govt regulate business, including the
slave trade?
• Govt COULD regulate business, but promised
not to end the slave trade for 20 years.
• Escaped slaves would be
returned to owners.
New Jersey Plan:
• 3 separate branches: Exec,Leg,Judicial
• Unicameral (1 house) legislature,
House of Representatives only
• Equal representation for all
states, like in the Articles of Con.
• One state  one vote
• Small states liked this!
Southern States:
• Slaves SHOULD be counted for
representation, but they should
NOT be counted for taxation.
• This position was best for the
slave-holding states (mostly
southern with large #’s of slaves).
Southern States:
• Did not want government to regulate
business, because it would not help
southern agriculture
• Were afraid that government would
end the slave trade
• Felt that northerners must return
escaped slaves (property) to owners
Basic Principles of the Constitution
Federal Govt is the Supreme Law of the Land, but
States have a lot of power to govern themselves
• Popular Sovereignty (Rule by the people)
– Power comes from the people’s consent
• Limited Government
– Limited the powers of the Government to
those powers in the Constitution
Basic Principles of the Constitution
• Separation of Powers
– Three branches of government
– Legislative: Congress (makes the law)
• Senate and House of Representatives
– Executive: President (enforces the law)
– Judicial: Supreme Court (interprets the law)
• Checks and Balances
– Each branch has some control over the others
– No branch can get too powerful
Basic Principles of the Constitution
• Judicial Review
– The courts (judicial branch) can declare laws
unconstitutional
– This was added a few years later; not in the
Constitution!
• Federalism
– Power is shared between the national
government and the states
Federalism
National
Govt
State Govts
Check for Understanding
• What was the location of the Constitutional
Convention?
• Who presided over the convention as
chairman…why was he chosen?
• What were the main issues discussed at the
convention?
• What did Great Compromise do?
• What are the basic principles of the
Constitution?
The Ratification Debate
• Ratify = Approve
• Read the article Ratification of the
Constitution and answer the questions.
Ratification
• Before the Constitution can be put into practice, it
must be ratified, or approved by the states.
– Each state sets up a convention to approve or
reject the Constitution
– Nine states must accept the Constitution for it
to be ratified
• Debate over Constitution -- (Federalists and Antifederalists) – What were their arguments?
FEDERALISTS
ANTI-FEDERALISTS
FOR Ratification:
AGAINST Ratification:
Strong central government was good for
solving national issues:
• Order and national security
• Economic development
• Commerce between states
Feared that a strong central government
would take away rights of citizens and
states, and would favor the rich and
powerful
Did NOT need a Bill of Rights, b/c the
Constitution already protected citizens.
WANTED a Bill of Rights to protect
individuals from power of govt. Refused
to ratify w/o it (NY & VA)
Separation of powers, checks & balances,
and federalism protected states and citizens
from a govt that was toopowerful
Major Federalists:
Alexander Hamilton*, James Madison*,
John Jay*, George Washington
Major Anti-Federalists*:
Patrick Henry, George Mason
*wrote Federalist Papers to support
ratification
* James Madison eventually agreed with
them, and wrote the Bill of Rights!
The Bill of Rights
• After the Federalists promise to add a Bill of
Rights, states begin to ratify the Constitution.
(Delaware is 1st)
• Bill of Rights is written by James Madison (a
Federalist)
• Heavily influenced by two Virginia documents:
– The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) by George
Mason
– The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom (1786) by
Thomas Jefferson
Activity
• Review
– The VA Declaration of Rights and the VA
Statute of Religious Freedom
– The Bill of Rights
• How did these two documents influence the
Bill of Rights and other founding principles
of the United States?