history chapter 7 section 2

Who is James Madison?

-- Delegate from Virginia at the Constitutional Convention. -- Studied many laws and historical documents to prepare for the Constitutional Convention -- Kept detailed notes of what happened during the Constitutional Convention. -- Known as the "Father of the Constitution" -- Born in 1751 and he did in 1836.

Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention was a meeting that decided how they would write the Constitution and it was opened in May 25, 1787.

Who was Benjamin Franklin?

Delegate at the Constitutional Convention. Encouraged all of the delegates to sign the Constitution. The only person who signed of all four of the major documents of the founding of the United States: --Declaration of Independence, --Treaty of Alliance with France, --Treaty of Paris --United States Constitution.

Who were the leading delegates to the Constitutional Convention?

George Washington (Virginia) - elected President of the Convention, lead the Convention James Madison (Virginia) - "Father of the Constitution" - did lots of studying and preparation ahead of time, and provided a lot of the historical law and rules to help with the new design. Took detailed notes on the debates and daily activities. Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania) - Made many speeches trying to get all delegates to sign the document. He was a signer of all 4 of the major documents in the US history up to that point (Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Treaty of Paris, Constitution) Alexander Hamilton (New York) - hated the Articles of Confederation and really wanted a new constitution Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee

New Jersey Plan

New Jersey Plan - Model for the new constitution proposed by William Patterson, delegate from New Jersey: 1. Strong national government with three branches: a) Legislative Branch b) Executive Branch c) Judicial Branch 2. A legislature (the lawmaking branch) consisting of only 1 house a) Every state would get only 1 vote in the legislature, regardless of size This Plan came about because small states were worried that if the Virginia Plan passed, they would be outvoted by large states all the time.

Executive Branch

The Executive Branch would carry out the laws. Chief Executive = President of the United States

Great Compromise

The Great Compromise - Model for the new constitution proposed by Roger Sherman, delegate from Connecticut, designed to satisfy both small and large states: 1. Strong national government with three branches: a) Legislative Branch b) Executive Branch c) Judicial Branch 2. A legislature (the lawmaking branch) consisting of 2 houses a) House of Representatives (Lower House) - representatives elected by popular vote, and number of seats based on size of population. b) Senate (Upper House) - representatives chosen by the state legislatures, each state gets 2 senators, regardless of the size of the state

Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch would decide if the laws would carry out fairly. Judiciary = System of Courts and judges

Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch would pass the laws. Legislature = Congress

Virginia Plan

The Virginia Plan - Model for the new constitution proposed by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, delegates from Virginia: 1. Strong national government with three branches: a) Legislative Branch b) Executive Branch c) Judicial Branch 2. A legislature (the lawmaking branch) consisting of 2 houses a) Seats in the legislature would be awarded on the basis of population b) Large states would have more representatives (votes) than small states

Three-Fifths Compromise

Three-Fifths Compromise - One of the compromises between Northern and Southern state delegates: a) If a state had slaves, 3/5 of them would count towards the state's population to decide how many representatives the state gets in the House of Representatives b) Note that even though 3/5 of slaves would count towards the state's population, none of the slaves would be allowed to vote.

What were the main differences between the two rival plans for the new Constitution?

Virginia Plan - 2 houses, based on population size New Jersey Plan - 1 house, 2 delegates for each state, regardless of size of state.

What compromises did the delegates have to reach before the Constitution could be signed?

a) How the legislature would be organized (Example: 1 house or 2 houses; representation based on size of state) b) Whether slaves would count in deciding on the population of a state c) Whether Congress could outlaw slavery

Compromise

When two sides come together and come up with an agreement