Constitutional
Convention in a
Nutshell
Virginia Plan
• Also know as the “big state” plan
• Three branches of government – executive, legislative, and
judicial
• Legislative branch appoints people to serve in other branches
• Bicameral legislature – House of Representatives and Senate
would be represented proportionally according to state’s
population
New Jersey Plan
• Also known as the “small state” plan
• Three branch government – executive, legislative, and judicial
• Legislative branch choose executive, then executive chooses
Supreme Court
• Unicameral legislature – All states would have the same
amount of representation in the legislature
Great Compromise
• Bicameral legislature was ultimately chosen
• House of Representatives – elected by the people, amount of
representation is based on population of the state (less
populated states have less representatives than more
populated states.
• Senate – elected by the states’ legislatures, each states gets
two senators
Northern States
• They believed that slavery was immoral and should be
outlawed in the Constitution
• They didn’t think that slaves should be counted in a states
population for representation because slaves were considered
property
• They believed that if slaves fled to where slavery was illegal
then the escaped slave would be free
Southern States
• Believed that they had the right to have slaves since they
bought them, and if they lost their slaves the southern
economy would collapse
• They wanted the slaves to be counted in some way in regards
of population for representation that way they could get more
representation
• They believed that fugitive slaves should be returned to their
owners since they were property
3/5 Compromise
• Slaves would be counted as 3/5 persons when counting a
states population for representation, even though the slave
could not vote
• Northern states could not make laws that would protect
fugitive slaves
• They slave trade would end in 1808