Constitutional Convention
Kole Carter & Jason Sayre
Period 4-5
Why Did the Delegates Meet?
• In 1786, Americans noticed that the Articles of
Confederation needed to be amended.
The Problems of the Articles
• The Articles allowed almost no power to the Congress.
The Congress had no power to tax and no power to
demand its request to the states for money or soldiers.
• Only one house of the Congress in command.
• No President, or executive branch.
• Each state got one vote no matter its size.
• No central form of government.
• Must have majority vote of 2/3 to pass any law.
• No judicial system, every state had its own laws.
Attendees of the Convention
Oliver Ellsworth
Abraham Baldwin
John F. Mercer
William S. Johnson
William Few
Elbridge Gerry
Roger Sherman
William Houstoun
Nathaniel Gorham
Richard Bassett
William L. Pierce
Rufus King
Gunning Bedford Jr.
Daniel Carroll
Caleb Strong
Jacob Broom
Daniel Jenifer
Nicholas Gilman
John Dickinson
Luther Martin
John Langdon
George Read
James McHenry
David Brearly
Attendees of the Convention
Jonathon Dayton
William R. Davie
William C. Houston
Thomas Mifflin
John Blair
Alexander Martin
Gouverneur Morris
James Madison
William Livingston
Richard D. Spaight
Robert Morris
George Mason
William Paterson
Hugh Williamson
James Wilson
James McClurg
Pierce Butler
Edmund J.
Charles Pinckney
Randolph
Charles Cotesworth
George Washington
George Wythe
Alexander Hamilton
John Lansing Jr.
George Clymer
Thomas Fitzsimons
Robert Yates
Benjamin Franklin
Pinckney
William Blount
Jared Ingersoll
John Rutledge
Dates of the Convention
• After the struggle continued, The Continental Congress,
in February 1787, called for a convention of delegates
to meet in May in Philadelphia.
• On May 25, 1787, a week later than scheduled,
delegates from the various states met in the
Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. The “Virginia
Plan” was drafted.
• On June 14, 1787, a competing plan, called the "New
Jersey Plan," was presented by delegate William
Paterson of New Jersey.
• By September, 1787, final compromises were made and
it came time to vote.
The First Meeting
• The May convention’s first order of
business was electing George
Washington president of the
Convention and establishing the
rules.
• James Madison chiefly drafted the “Virginia
Plan.”
• The Virginia Plan called for a strong national
government with both branches of the legislative
branch apportioned by population.
• The plan gave the national government the
power to legislate "in all cases in which the
separate States are incompetent" and even
gave a proposed national Council of Revision a
veto power over state legislatures.
The “New Jersey Plan”
• The "New Jersey Plan," was presented by
delegate William Paterson of New Jersey.
• The New Jersey Plan kept federal powers rather
limited and created no new Congress.
3/5 Compromise
• At the insistence of delegates from southern states, Congress
was denied the power to limit the slave trade for a minimum of
twenty years and slaves--although denied the vote and not
recognized as citizens by those states--were allowed to be
counted as 3/5 persons for the purpose of apportioning
representatives and determining electoral votes.
• Delegates compromised on the controversial issue of apportioning
members of Congress.
Connecticut Compromise
• Delegate, Roger Sherman, put forward this plan.
• Representation in the House of Representatives
would be based on population while each state
would be guaranteed an equal two senators in
the new Senate.
The Final Vote
• Each state had only one vote regardless of
delegate numbers.
• Thirty-nine of fifty-five delegates supported
adoption of the new Constitution.
• Rhode Island sent no delegates because
they opposed the convention.
• A signing ceremony was held on
September 17, 1787.