Bell Ringer
• What was the first document that governed
the United States?
• What was the second document that
governed the United States?
The Constitutional Convention
Chapter 5 Section 2
The Constitutional Convention
• Took place in the Pennsylvania State House
now called Independence Hall.
• 55 delegates attended
• Soldiers kept others at a distance.
• The window was kept closed to prevent
eavesdropping.
• They produced the U.S. Constitution in only
four months.
James Madison
• “The father of the Constitution”
• He attended every meeting and took notes the
would become our best record of the proceedings.
• Age 36 and a bachelor from Virginia
• He had read and studied the year prior to the
convention… government, law, history.
• He had attended what is now Princeton University
finishing the four year program in two years.
Dolley Payne Todd
• He married Dolley
Payne Todd at age 43.
• She was a 26 year old
widow.
• They were married for
42 years.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/images/dm4.jpg
Accomplishments
• He served in the Continental Congress in
1780
• The Virginia Legislature
• Helped draft the Articles of Confederation
• Wrote most of the Constitution
• Served in the House of Representatives
• And served as President from 1809-1817
Divisions at the Convention
• George Washington was unanimously
elected president of the Convention.
• The major division was whether to amend
the articles or write a new document.
• Madison and others who wanted a new
government dominated the meetings by
bringing a plan with them.
The Virginia Plan
•
•
•
•
Submitted by Edmund Randolph of Virginia
Bicameral, two-house, national legislature
Representation based on population
Gave the new legislature added powers to
tax, regulate foreign and interstate
commerce, etc.
• Gave the national legislature the veto power
• Gave the national government the right to
use force against any State that defied
national authority.
• Created the Executive and Judicial branches
of government
• The larger States would benefit from this
plan and thus supported it.
The New Jersey Plan
• Small States opposed the Virginia plan
• William Patterson of New Jersey proposed
the New Jersey Plan
• It gave Congress the power to tax and
regulate foreign and interstate commerce.
• It created the executive and judicial
branches.
• It gave every State one equal vote in a
unicameral Congress.
• It aimed to keep the State governments
more powerful than the national
government and ensure heavily populated
States would not dominate the others.
Bell Ringer
• What was the difference between the
Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan?
• Which plan favored more populated states?
Less populated states?
Deadlock
• The central difference
was whether States
with more people
should have more
representation.
• The vote was split and
the convention
deadlocked.
• It all seemed hopeless.
The Great Compromise
• It called for a bicameral legislature.
• The Senate would have equal
representation. (2 per State)
• The seats in the House of Representation
were based on population.
• This Great Compromise was approved on
July 16, 1787.
The Three-Fifths Compromise
• Should enslaved people be counted in the
population of a State?
• This could give the Southern States great
advantage in the House.
• Under this plan, three-fifths of a state’s slave
population would be counted when determining
representation.
• Enslaved people would not be able to vote or
participate widely until 1965.
A Lasting Document
• Delegates never gave the national government the
power Madison had hoped (Ex: Congress the
power to vote laws of States)
• Final draft of the Constitution was approved on
September 17, 1787.
• It has remained basically the same for over 200
years. It has been amended only 27 times to date.
• It is specific enough on certain issues to not
be misinterpreted and yet flexible enough to
adapt to changing times.
• Its 7000 words can be read in just 30
minutes.
• It continues to inspire people around the
world and has been a model for
Constitutions of many nations.
Bell Ringer
1. What was the Great Compromise?
2. What was the 3/5 Compromise?
3. What was the difference between the
Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan?
Federal and State Powers
• Framers sought to keep the government
under control by dividing powers between
the federal and state governments and the
branches of the federal government.
• Created a federal government – power is
shared among state and national authorities.
Division of Power
• Reserved powers are powers given only to
the states.
• Delegated powers are powers given only to
the national government.
• Concurrent powers are powers given to
both the state and national governments at
the same time.
Separation of Federal Powers
• Separation of powers means that the three
branches of government all have their own
areas of authority.
• Checks and balances gives each branch the
power to check, or stop, the others in certain
ways.
• What are some examples of these checks?
Congress
• Only Congress can coin money, declare
war, raise an army, provide for a navy, and
regulate commerce.
• The Elastic Clause gives Congress the
authority to pass any laws reasonably
necessary to carry out its duties.
The President
• Only the President may overall command
the armed forces or veto acts of Congress.
• The election of the President is indirect.
• The President is elected by electors from
each State. Each has as many electors as
members of Congress.
• The candidate with the majority of the votes
in the Electoral College becomes President.
Tie Breakers
• If no candidate achieves the majority of
electoral votes necessary to become
President the House of Representatives
decides.
• Each State has one vote.
• This occurred in the elections of 1800 and
1824 only.
Federal Courts
• Members of the Supreme Court are chosen
by the President with the advice and consent
of the Senate.
• Judges are elected for life.
• Congress later developed the federal court
system to fit the needs of the nation.