Creating the Constitution

Approving the Constitution

The first question before the framers was how many states would have to ratify, or approve, the Constitution before it could go into effect. The second question was who should ratify the Constitution--the people or the state legislatures.

How should slaves be counted

northern states are bigger than southern states. The north thought that slaves shouldn't be counted. But the south wanted them to be counted because they had a smaller amount of people. The south thought that they should be counted but shouldn't be counted as citizens V.S the north that thought that if they were going to be counted at all they should be counted 100%.

People or Property?

-slave debate as part of the population -if they were people, slave states would get more rep. North=mad -if they were property, the South would get fewer representatives. South=mad

Another Slavery Issue

A dispute over trade raised another issue about slavery To help business in the North, Northern delegates favored giving Congress broad power to control trade between the states and other countries.Southerns had a reasons to be fearful. South Carolina and Georgia, however, objected that their economies would collapse without a constant supply of new slaves.

The Great Compromise

A state's representation in the House of Representation would be based on population; Two senators for each state; all bills would originate in the house; direct taxes on states were to be assessed according to population

The Virginia Plan

A strong national legislature with two chambers, the lower chamber to be chose by the people and the upper chamber to be chose by the lower. A strong national executive to be chose by the legislature, and a national judiciary to be chose by legislature.

The Rule of the Constitution

After choosing a president, the delegates voted on rules for the convention. The delegates wanted to feel free to speak without causing alarm or opposition among the general public. Like Washington, the delegates took the rule of secrecy seriously.

More Compromise on Slavery

Again, the delegates settled on compromise. First, Congress could not place any tax on exports to other countries. Second, Congress could not interfere with the slave trade for 20 years, or until 1808. To satisfy southerns, the delegates also agreed to a provision known as the fugitive slave clause. Without such compromise, the states might never have come together in a union. Still, the compromises only postponed the day when Americans would have to resolve the terrible contradiction.

How Should the Chief Executive Be Elected?

Another major question facing the delegates concerned who would head the new government's executive branch. A sudden silence fell over the convention. Wilson broke the silence by explaining that good government depends on clear, timely, and responsible leadership.

The Constitution Goes to the States

Newspaper in every state printed the Constitution as soon as they could get it.

New Thinking on Slavery

Northern states started passing laws ending slavery, but the Southern were a bit uneasy. However, the South did allow the slaves an easier chance to become free.

Signing the Constitution

On September 17, 1787, the delegates declared the Constitution complete

The Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution

The New Jersey Plan

Provided for a single legislature in which all the states were to have equal representation.

The Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution

Shared beliefs and Clashing Views

As a group the delegates had much in common. But they also had very different views on many issues facing the new nation. All delegates were committed to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. They wanted to protect the right of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". These beliefs reflected the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers like England's John Locke. The best way to protect these rights, the delegates agreed,was through some for of republic. After the American Revolution all the states adopted constitutions that embraced republican ideals.

The Convention Ends

By the end of summer, the hard work of designing the Constitution was finished. But the new plan still had to be approved by the states.

A Compromised Is Reached

Each state would have two senators, to be elected by their state legislatures. The vote was very close, but the compromise plan was approved. This plan saved the convention and became known as the Great Compromised

One Executive or Three?

Edmund Randolph of Virginia disliked this proposal. He preferred a three-member executive drawn from different parts of the country. Three people, he argued, could lead the country better than one. Benjamin Franklin opposed a single executive for different reasons. "The first man put at the helm will be a good one," said Franklin, thinking of George Washington.. "Nobody knows what sort may come afterwards." The next chief executive, he warned, might be overly ambitious or too "fond of war." In spite of these objections, the framers agreed to a single executive, to be called the president.

Choosing the Chief Executive

Equally troubling was the issue of how to choose the chief executive. Some delegates wanted Congress to appoint the president. Gouverneur Morris objected. The president "must not be made the flunky of the congress," he argued. "It must not be able to say to him: 'You owe your appointment to us'". Several delegates thought that the people should elect the president. Madison, however, argued that voters would naturally vote for someone from their own state. As a result, this method would not be fair to candidates from small states. Still other suggested that the president be elected by a specially chosen group of elected by a specially chosen group of "electors" from each state.

The Electoral College

Instead, a special body called the Electoral College would elect the government's leader

The Father of the Constitution

James Madison of Virginia. One delegate wrote of Madison, "In the management of every great question he evidently took the lead of the Constitution". All together, his notes covered more than 600 printed pages.

The Electoral College System

The Electoral College is made up of electors who cast voters to elect the president and vice president every four years. The delegates left the method of choosing electors up to each state. Originally, the electors voted for two candidates without saying which one they preferred for president or vice president.

Political Parties and economies

The Electoral College system seems very odd to most Americans today.The delegates could not have had predicted how quickly communications would improve in the United States. The Electoral College system still affect presidential elections today.

Tempers Rise

The debate over representation in Congress continued in July, which tempers rising day by day.

How should States Be Represented in the New Government

delegates agrees to throw out the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution

The Three-Fifths Compromise

the constitutional convention's agreement to count the three fifth's of a state's slave population for purposes of representation in the census