The Constitutional Convention
Jamie Monogan
University of Georgia
August 24, 2015
Objectives
By the end of this meeting, participants
should be able to:
• Explain the causes and reasoning
behind the institutions the framers
crafted.
• Describe the major provisions of the
U.S. Constitution.
What Do Constitutions
Accomplish?
• Establish “rule of law” in a society
• Provide basics of policy making
– How law is made and by whom
• Outline responsibilities of government
institutions
• Determine who is eligible to serve in
government positions
Articles of Confederation
(AOC)
• First U.S. governing
document, ratified in
1781
• Each state had one vote
• Had powers, but no
means of enforcement
• Required unanimous
consent to amend
Origins of American System
• Articles of Confederation set up a
weak national government
• Could not compel states to pay their
share of debt/taxes
• Articles lacked effective means of
coordination and preventing freeriding
– Failure led to Convention of 1787
Constitutional Convention
• Met in Philadelphia in 1787 to
consider amendments to AOC
• Quickly decided to scrap the AOC
and write new document
• Founders wrestled with how to
combine strong national government
with protections of individual liberty
Virginia Plan
• First proposal at convention by James
Madison
• Set up strong legislature apportioned
by population
• Bicameral legislature with upper
chamber elected by lower chamber
• Advantaged large states at expense
of small states
New Jersey Plan
• Small states proposed this plan
• Plural executive
• Legislature based on equal
representation by states
• The idea: Revise the Articles of
Confederation instead of start fresh
Slavery
• Major issue at convention
• Northern states that favored abolition
feared Southern states would refuse
to sign if slavery were banned or
restricted
• Compromises allowed convention to
succeed, but set country on path to
the Civil War
Three Major Cleavages
Connecticut Compromise
• Bicameral legislature
• House representation based on
population
– Slaves count as 3/5
• Equal state representation in Senate
– Senators elected by state legislatures
• Unitary executive
Assignments
• Chapter 2 concept map exercise
due at 11:59pm on Wednesday.
–Login to ELC to complete.
• Also for Wednesday: Read
Kollman, pp. 50-65
• For Friday: Read Bullock &
Gaddie, Chapter 4