4.2 Drafting a Constitution A. The Delegates to the Convention 1. The Constitutional Convention opened on May 25, 1787. a) Goal = Revise the Articles of Confederation. b) Every state except RI. 2. The convention’s 55 delegates were a remarkable group. a) 8 signed the Declaration. b) Ben Franklin c) George Washington was a delegate from VA and was immediately elected as the president of the convention.

4.2 Drafting a Constitution 3. New generation of American leaders. a) ½ were men in their thirties including Alexander Hamilton from NY. b) During the Revolution, Hamilton served as Washington’s private secretary. c) Hamilton hated the Articles in favor of a “strong” central government. 4. Perhaps the best-prepared delegate was 36-year old James Madison of VA. a) quiet and shy. b) His ideas strongly influenced the other delegates.

4.2 Drafting a Constitution c) Madison is regarded as the “Father of the Constitution”. 5. The delegates decided to keep their talks secret. a) Speak their minds freely. b) Sealed doors and windows made the room very hot. B. Two Rival Plans 1. The delegates realized they would have to do more than simply revising the Articles of Confederation. a) They chose to entirely write a new constitution. 2. The VA Plan, written by Edmund Randolph and James Madison, called for a strong national government with three branches.

4.2 Drafting a Constitution a) The legislative branch would pass the laws. b) The executive branch would carry out the laws. c) The judicial branch would decide if the laws were carried out fairly. 3. According to the VA plan, the legislature would consist of two houses. a) Seats would be awarded on the basis of population. b) Larger states would have more seats than smaller ones. 4. Small states opposed the VA Plan. a) They feared that the smaller states would be out voted. 5. William Patterson of NJ presented the NJ Plan .

4.2 Drafting a Constitution a) The NJ Plan called for three branches of government. b) In the plan, it provided only one house in the legislature and each state would have only one vote. C. The Great Compromise 1. Roger Sherman of CT worked out a compromise between the small and big states. a) A compromise is a settlement in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to reach an agreement. b) The Great Compromise called for a two house legislature. c) Members of the House of Representatives would be determined by population.

4.2 Drafting a Constitution d) Members of the Senate would have two senators from each state. D. Northern and Southern States Compromise 1. There were also disagreements between the northern and southern states. a) The most serious disagreements were over slavery. b) Could slaves be counted as part of a state’s population? c) What about the slave trade? 2. Delegates, under the 3/5ths Compromise, agreed that 3/5ths of a state’s slave population would be counted. 3. The slave trade would not be regulated for 20 years. E. Signing the Constitution

4.2 Drafting a Constitution 1. Finally, on Sept. 17th, 1787, (Constitution Day) the Constitution was signed by the delegates. 2. The Constitution had to be brought back to each state and be ratified, or approved. a) Once 9 states ratified the Constitution, it would go into effect. 3. George Mason, Edmund Randolph, & Elbridge Gerry refused to sign. a) They feared that the new Constitution gave too much power to the national government.