Writing the Constitution Constitutional Convention
55
delegates who created Articles of
Confederation meet in
Philadelphia
in
May 1787 to discuss how they could change or
improve
Articles of Confederation
Delegates from every state except Rhode Island
were present; they were worried that any changes
would leave them with less
power
George Washington - most
respected
– elected
President of
Convention
Ben Franklin oldest
delegate there (81)
James
Madison
, 36, has been
doing a lot of research on history, politics and
commerce. Is most
prepared
delegate.
JAMES MADISON
Madison
recorded
proceedings of convention to share with future
Americans. Refused to publish when he was alive;
was published 4 years after his death in 1840 .
MADISON FAMILY CEMETARY
Alexander Hamilton, NY, favored
strong, central
government
Talks were kept
secret
(even
though hot, windows closed) so delegates could
explore every issue without
pressure
from public
Delegates are hopelessly
divided
. They
cannot
agree
on how to
fix
Articles, so they decide to
abandon
the Articles and write a
new
constitution
Virginia makes a proposal known as the
Virginia Plan
. Drafted by Edmund
Randolph and James
Madison
which consisted of:
Edmund Randolph
James Madison
Three
braches of
government: the legislative, executive and
judicial branches
1.
Legislative
Branch would be
responsible for writing and passing
laws
a. Legislative Branch would have
two
houses
b. The number of seats/members each state would
have in Congress would depend on that state’s
population
(small states
disliked
this)
2.
Executive
Branch - enforce
/carry out laws passed by
Congress
• President: Leader of the country and Commander in Chief of
the military.
• Vice President: President of the Senate and becomes
President if the President is unable to serve.
• Departments: Department heads advise the President on
policy issues and help execute those policies.
• Executive Agencies: Makes regulations to help implement
laws.
• Independent Agencies: Help carry out policy or provide
special services
3.
of
Judicial
courts
carried out
Branch - system
to decide if laws are
fairly
U.S. Supreme Court - 2013
Small states
object
Virginia Plan
to
Small states feared large states could easily
outvote
them with more
members in the houses.
William
Patterson
of New
Jersey presents small states’
New Jersey Plan
which
consists of:
William Patterson
Three
braches of
government just like the
Virginia
Plan
: the legislative, executive and judicial
branches
Difference: legislature to have only
one
house with each state having
one
representative in legislature.
Similarity: Both plans have presented
three
branches of gov’t.