What do you see? Make a list of observations
Constitutional Convention – Philadelphia 1787
• Why do you think there were such a limited
group involved in the writing of the
Constitution?
• Issues addressed:
– slavery, suffrage (voting rights), payment of war
bonds, and how much power the federal gov’t will
have compared to the states
Common Terminology
What terms need review?
Bonds
Just/unjust
Wealthy
Property
Merchant
Trader
Suffrage
Constitution
Abolitionist
Fugitive
Convention
Bill of Rights
Taxes
Abolish
Prohibit
Resolve
Indentured servant
Slavery
Iroquois
Plantation owner
Attendees to our Convention
• European-American (white) indentured
servants
• Enslaved African-Americans
• Free African-Americans
• European-American (white) women
• Southern Plantation owners
• Northern merchants and bankers
• Native American - Iroquois Nation
Indentured European-American
(white) Laborers
• Contracted laborers
• Trip to America paid by your labor
• Many treated like slaves – long hours, hard
work, limited freedom
• Poor
• Do not own property (land)
• Many fought in Revolution, are owed $ by the
federal government
Enslaved African-Americans
• In 1787 about 700,000 enslaved people live in
America
• Harsh life – work sun up to sun down
• Master dictates quality of life
• Deeper South = harsher the life
• Some Northern states are abolishing
(outlawing) slavery, words of Declaration “all
men are created equal” = hope
Free African-Americans
• In 1787 about 59,000 free African-Americans live
in the states (vs. 700,000 enslaved)
• Denied property ownership in most states
• No voting rights
• No rights in court – cannot serve on jury
• Not allowed to attend most schools
• Threat of slave-catcher “fugitive-slave” laws
• Over 5,000 African – Americans served in the
Revolution
• Between 1780 and 1786 RI, PA, NY, and NJ passed
laws against slavery
European-American (White) women
• Active participants in war – leads many
women to push for more rights!
• No right to vote or own property
• No rights in court, cannot serve on a jury
• Cannot hold office in government
• Do not have the right to go to most high
schools and colleges
Male Southern Plantation Owners
• Tobacco and cotton planters
• Wealth dependent on slavery
• You are happy you have the right to hire slave
catchers to catch slaves that runaway to the
North
• Becoming uncomfortable with the protests
from the common people (the “rabble”) –
poor farmers (like Shay), unemployed workers
• Property owner with voting rights
• Fear that property could be taken away
Northern Merchants and Bankers
• Wealthy – own ships, mills, banks
• Now you are open to trade with whoever you
want! (No more British control)
• Dependent on slavery in the South for
manufactured goods (to run a mill you need
cheap cotton!)
• Upset that some state legislatures have passed
laws allowing debtors to pay debts “in kind” (with
corn, tobacco, cows) – you want real money!
• Worried about voting rights for the poor
• Want democracy for the educated, let the rich
lead the poor
Native Americans: Iroquois Nation
• Iroquois League of Nations (6 member nations Oneida, Tuscarora) –
led by the Grand Council, leaders worked to solve issues among
tribes peacefully
• Met with Ben Franklin (his Albany Plan of Union was based on the
study of the Iroquois)
• Iroquois Government had three parts – executive, an assembly, and
a judicial system
• Allowed all people to vote
• Women run the court system – they make the final decisions when
there is a disagreement
• During the war many had sided with British b/c they were mad at
Americans for taking their land, breaking treaties
• War was especially tough on you – Washington ordered Iroquois
land and villages destroyed
Brainstorm Session
• Suffrage (Voting Rights) – who should be allowed
to vote? What role should gender, race and
property ownership play in voting rights?
• Slavery – should it continue to be legal in any of
the United States, should the slave trade continue
(slaves coming from outside the country in), and
should northerners be forced to turn over
runaway slaves to their owners?
• Payment of Bonds – these were loans issued
during Revolutionary war to soldiers by
Continental Congress – should the bonds be paid
back in full? Just a small amount for each dollar?
Not at all?
Defending your position
3 points/counter-points (1 per issue)
• What argument could be used to support or oppose
slavery or the right to vote for a certain group? Why or
why not bonds should be repaid?
• Make a point your team might have made
– Slavery is necessary to produce cotton and tobacco, two
items essential to the well-being of the nation
• Counter-argument
– The “well-being” should include everyone, even if the
nation as a whole benefits it doesn’t warrant enslaving a
whole race of people
• Counter-counter argument
– What’s more important – the nation or the individual?
Sacrifice is a part of success - if we want our nation to be
strong then slavery is a necessary evil
Preparing for the Convention
• As a team discuss your points/counter-points
• Alliance building – one representative
“traveling negotiator” from each team can try
and win others to their side
– Exchange ideas – think about additional
points/counter-points you can develop
• Finalize your list of points/counter-points as a
group