Constitutional Convention May 1787 Philadelphia What issues did

Constitutional Convention May 1787, Philadelphia What issues did the delegates face at the Constitutional Convention? What were the key compromises/ decisions that were made?

The Well Bred, the well wed, and the well fed Meet • All states except Rhode Island send delegates to Philadelphia in May 1787 to amend the Articles of Confederation- becomes the Constitutional Convention • 55 white men • Mostly wealthy lawyers, merchants and planters • “the well bred, the well fed, the well read, and the well wed” • • More than half attended college 23 had studied law; Average 42 Youngest was 26 – Jonathan Dayton Oldest was Franklin, 81

James Madison- “Father of the Constitution” James Madison, Jefferson's secretary of state. . IRC. 2005. unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <http: //www. unitedstreaming. com/> • BRILLIANT • PREPARED • Arrives with “Virginia Plan” • Day One: calls for a new Constitution to be written

George Washington- “President of the Convention” • “out of retirement” for his country • Gives legitimacy to the Convention • Most think he will be 1 st president- trust him George Washington at Princeton, early 1777. . IRC. 2005. unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <http: //www. unitedstreaming. com/>

Ben Franklin- The Gracious Host • Big name- adds credibility • Held private meetings at home behind the scenes • Second most famous American in the world after Washington • Had been involved in almost every major moment of American history in 1700 s • Had several dinners and luncheons at his renovated Philadelphia home Image courtesy of American Philosphical Society http: //www. ushistory. org/franklin/pictures/images/3 b 42331 r. jpg

Alexander Hamilton • Supported VERY strong Federal government. • Wrote Federalist Papers with Madison to help get Constitution ratified • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Sbm. Aqh. Mr. X 4 Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury. . IRC. 2005. unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <http: //www. unitedstreaming. com/> Bank of the United States at Philadelphia, 1800. . IRC. 2005. unitedstreaming. 27 July 2007 <http: //www. unitedstreaming. com/>

Constitutional Re-enactment: • Each member of your group will be playing the role of an actual delegate in 1787. • Conflicts arose between – Large and small states – Southern (slave) and Northern (free) states • For each of three issues, you and your group must come up with a solution that all can accept (COMPROMISE)

Task 1: • Your group must have at least one delegate from each “square”. Go to http: //teachingamericanhistory. org/conventio n/delegates/ , have everyone in your group choose a delegate from one “square”. Read the brief biography on top, and fill in the squares. • In google classroom, please put students name and the delegates they represent in appropriate slide

Task 2 • (2 pts) For each issue, come up with a plan that all members (small/ large, north/south) could agree on. • (3 pts) Provide an explanation for your plan. For full credit, this needs to be specific. How would delegates from both sides accept your plan? How is it a compromise • Type plan AND explanation into appropriate slide on google classroom.

ISSUE #1: Representation in CONGRESS (law making body)BIG STATES V SMALL STATES • VA Plan (big states) v. NJ Plan (small) • VA Plan- 2 “houses” – Lower House- elected by voters – Upper House- appointed by Lower House – # OF MEMBERS FROM EACH STATE BASED ON POPULATION • NJ Plan- 1 “house” (like Articles of Conf. ) – EACH STATE GETS SAME # OF VOTES

ISSUE 1 - CREATE CONGRESS (LAW MAKING BODY) • How many “houses” in Congress? – (Laws passed have to go through each house. If more than one house describe each house, and be able to explain why you made them. ) • How should members be elected? – (do you trust “the people” with direct elections? If so, who gets to vote? Should the “lower house” appoint members to the “upper house” (Virginia Plan); should state governments appoint representatives? Other? Should it be different for the different houses, if applicable? ) • How long should their terms in office be? (Should it be different for the different houses, if applicable? ) • MOST CONTENTIOUS ISSUE: Should all states have equal representation (SMALL STATES LIKE), or should larger states have more members (BIG STATES LIKE)? Should it be different for the different houses, if applicable?

1 - Representation? THE GREAT COMPROMISE • BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE (two houses) • House of Representatives (lower house) – Number of members based on population of state – Directly elected by citizens – Elections every two years • Senate (upper house) – Each state has two members – Appointed by state legislatures (changed w/ 17 th amendment) – 1/3 of the Senators have elections every six years

Issue #2: SLAVE STATES V. FREE STATES • Should slaves count as part of the population for taxing states? (the higher the population of a state, the more taxes they would have to chip in) • Should slaves count as part of the population for representation in Congress? (Slave states think they should; free states argue that this would give free whites more power) • Should the federal Congress be able to regulate trade? (make laws regarding imports and exports of slaves to the country) • If Congress can regulate trade, can they ban the importation of slaves? • Should Congress be able to make laws about slavery in general, or should that be left up to the states?

2 - Slaves counted in population? / Commerce regulation • 3/5 Compromise: – Each slave counts as 3/5 of a person when deciding how many representatives a state gets in the House and for taxation • Can Congress regulate the slave trade? – The slave trade (importing slaves) cannot be touched for 20 years (until 1808) • Slavery itself? - left up to states

Issue #3: What about the Executive branch? How many executives should there be? How should they/ (s)he be chosen? How long should the term of office be? Should they be eligible for re-election? How many times? • What powers should be given? • •

5 - The Executive Branch • One “president” • chosen by electoral college (not by direct vote of people) • 4 year terms • No term limit until 22 nd Amendment (1951) • Fairly powerful president (we’ll get into specifics later)