Warm Up:
Describe a time in your life when it
was beneficial to compromise with
someone else. Write 3-5 sentences
describing what happened!
Today’s Question:
How did members of the
Constitutional Convention
compromise on important issues?
Agenda:
1. Class Discussion/Notes: Compromises at the Convention
2. Prepare for Convention
At the Convention, delegates agreed that
there would be 3 branches of government:
Executive Branch: enforces the laws;
president
Judicial Branch: interprets the laws; supreme
court
Legislative Branch: makes the laws;
representatives from each state are sent to
Congress
Compromises at the Convention:
1. We will look at a slide and discuss one issue delegates discussed
at the Constitutional Convention.
2. You will have 5 minutes to read more about this issue and decide
how you would vote.
3. We will discuss the question and fill in our notes on how the
delegates compromised.
How many delegates should each state
send to the legislature?
Virginia Plan: Representation based on
population
New Jersey Plan: Each state will have the
same number of representatives
Should slaves count as part of a state’s
population?
Northern States: Slaves should not count as part of
a state’s population
Southern States: Slaves should count as a part of a
state’s population
Should the slave trade continue? Should
runaway slaves be sent back to their
owners?
Northern states: slave trade should not continue,
runaway slaves who reach a free state should be
considered free.
Southern states: slave trade should continue,
runaway slaves who reach a free state should be sent
back to their owners.
Constitutional Convention:
Now, we will prepare for a Constitutional Convention. At our
convention, we will invite several groups that were not invited to
the original convention.
We will divide into these seven social groups, and prepare to debate
two burning questions:
1. Should slavery be abolished?
2. Who should have the right to vote?
Important Vocab:
Suffrage: The right to vote.
Abolition: The act of getting rid of something
(slavery)
Groups invited to our convention:
Indentured Servants
Free African
Americans
Southern planation
owners
White women
Slaves
Iroquois
Northern
merchants and
bankers
What does your social group believe?
1. Read the information about your group OUT LOUD.
2. Write your group’s position for each question.
• Should slavery be abolished?
• Who should have the right to vote?
3. Come up with three arguments to support your positions.
Creating your arguments:
1. Write your group’s position for each question.
• Should slavery be abolished?
• Who should have the right to vote?
1. Come up with three arguments to support your positions.
Convention Speeches:
Imagine the year is 1787 and the Constitutional Convention is about
to begin. You have been invited to the convention to represent the
viewpoint of your social group (Enslaved African Americans, White
Women, Free African Americans, Southern Planation Owners,
Northern Merchants, Indentured Servants, Native Americans). Your
job is to write a speech representing your group’s views on suffrage
and abolition.