Creating the Constitution
The Big Idea
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention
created a new form of government for a new
nation
Constitutional Convention
• 12 states sent delegates to Philadelphia
• they are known as the Framers
• many of the most famous names of the revolution
were not there
• Patrick Henry, John Hancock
• Decided to make a NEW constitution
• The hard part was figuring out how to
compromise
• Many big issues needed to be fixed
Inside/Outside Circles
• Use the information I will provide and the
book to outline the important aspects of
your issue.
• You will then get into groups and share
with each other to fill out the graphic
organizers
Compromise
Issue
Connecticut
Representation in Congress
Three-Fifths
Continuing slaves within
population to determine
representation
Commerce and Slave Trade
Granting Congress the power to
regulate foreign and interstate
Virginia Plan
• Written mostly James Madison
• A major overhaul to the current system
• proposed a new government
• 3 branches & a bicameral Congress
• Representation based on state population.
• more people more representatives in congress
• Congress chooses a National Executive and
Judiciary
New Jersey Plan
• Not as many changes proposed as the
Virginia plan
• Unicameral Congress
• States are all represented equally in congress
• The federal executive should be more than one
person
• Chosen by congress
Great Compromise
• Also known as the Connecticut Compromise
• Because Connecticut delegate proposed it
• Used parts of both the New Jersey and
Virginia Plans
• Bicameral Congress
• House of Representatives based on states population
• Senate based on every state has the same number
• three branches of government
Three-Fifth's Compromise
• This dealt with how slaves should be counted
in order to figure out representation
• the Southern States were afraid the Northern
States would get the most representation
because they had a larger population of nonslaves
• it was decided that every 5 slaves would count
as 3 white citizens
Commerce & Slave trade act
• Congress was given the power to regulate
trade
• Southern states were worried the Northern states
would try to regulate or stop slavery
• It was decided that
• Congress was forbidden to tax the export of goods
from any state
• Congress was forbidden to act on the slave trade for
20 years