VIRGINIA PLAN:
CONGRESS SHOULD
BE BASED ON
POPULATION… BIG
STATES SHOULD RULE.
NEW JERSEY PLAN:
CONGRESS SHOULD
BE FAIR…
ONE STATE = ONE
REPRESENTATIVE
Let’s Compromise!
In the FEDERAL Government…
Each state gets 2
senators, no matter
how big the state.
But our seats in the House of
Reps are determined by
population. The more people
in TX, the more Reps we get
in the US HOUSE!
Texas get 32 reps, 2nd only to California!
THIS WAS CALLED
THE GREAT COMPROMISE
HOUSE
SENATE
2 year term
6 year term
Based on
population, 435
reps in total
2 for every state
People or property?
1787
Slavery was a center of
controversy at the
Constitutional Convention
•Q: Do slaves count as full
citizens for purposes of
representation in the Congress?
People or property?
A slave is property!
They should be
counted for tax
purposes.
A slave is a man!
They should be
counted as part of
the population.
For representation in Congress, we use a population
count (the census) to decide the number of reps for
Ofeach
course,
the Southern states had many more slaves and
state.
wanted to count their slaves as PEOPLE for
Northern states wanted slaves counted as
representation.
PROPERTY for taxation purposes (since they
didn’t have very many slaves.)
People or property?
How can we get
around this
problem?
It’s a deal!
Let’s compromise!
How about we call
a slave 3/5 of a
person?
A compromise was struck! A slave would count
as 3/5 of a man for representation and taxes.
(How you get 3/5 of person is beyond me!)
The 3/5 compromise
Each slave
would be 3/5 of
a full person in
the eyes of
Congress.
Otherwise,
the law said
they were
PROPERTY
like a table,
clothing, or
livestock.
and...
Congress agreed not
to ban the slave
trade for twenty
years (until 1808)
IF YOU TAX IMPORTS WITH
A TARIFF THEN STUFF WE
MAKE HERE WILL BE
CHEAPER THAN THE
EUROPEAN GOODS!
GO FOR IT!
BUT IF YOU TAX IMPORTS,
WE’LL HAVE TO PAY MORE
FOR THINGS WE BUY FROM
EUROPE! Yuck!
PLUS, IF YOU TAX EXPORTS,
OUR CROPS WILL BE MORE
EXPENSIVE TO THE BUYERS
IN EUROPE!
DOUBLE YUCK!!!
? SHOULD CONGRESS
HAVE THE POWER OF…
TARIFFS
Import tariffs protected
the Northern factories
from competition, but
made the South pay high
prices on goods from
Europe.
Tariff
IMPORT
EXPORT
Southern Cotton
$
$
$
European Markets
HOW TARIFFS WORK
40%
$4.90
$4.50
Probably made in the
factories of the North
Prices in USA
The
COMPROMISE…
CONGRESS CAN TAX
IMPORTS BUT NOT
EXPORTS
Felt that the
common
people would
not be able
to chose
good leaders
for the
country.
George MASON
The
people are
fools!
Alexander
HAMILTON
THEY FAVORED RULE BY THE
WEALTHY, EDUCATED ELITE
Believed that a
nation of
farmers,
merchants,
and workers
would keep the
government
responsible to
James WILSON the people.
Ben
FRANKLIN
THEY FAVORED RULE BY THE
COMMON PEOPLE to keep one
class from getting too powerful
The COMPROMISE...
Americans would
elect the President
INDIRECTLY through
an “electoral
college” (still used
today)
Senators would be
chosen indirectly
by the state
legislatures
(repealed by the
17th Amendment)
House members would be chosen
by the people and answer directly
to the voters.
The ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Each state is given
votes equal to the
number of reps &
senators
6
10
MINE!
All mine!
It’s a winner take
all system.
The “electors” from each
state meet in Washington
DC and cast their ballots
for president.
This way they can change the winner if we all elect a psycho-freak!