Section 3 Chapter 7 The Constitution

Focus Questions Why did the delegates meet for the Constitutional Convention? What were some of the main issues debated and compromises reached at the Constitutional Convention? How is the federal government balanced under the U.S. Constitution?

The Constitutional Convention By mid 1780s many new it was time for a change to the Articles of Confederation In 1787 there was a meeting called in Philadelphia to discus improving the Articles The Constitutional Convention was held in May of 1787 and was held in Independence Hall

The Constitutional Convention Rhode Island was the only delegation not present Benjamin Franklin was the oldest member James Madison proved to be the most important delegates at the convention

The Constitutional Convention George Washington was a Virginia representative and was elected president of the convention John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were serving as ambassadors and were not there Patrick Henry was also not in attendance because he did not believe the meeting was necessary

The Great Compromise Some delegates wanted to rewrite the Articles, some wanted to make small changes The Virginia Plan was proposed four days into the convention New Federal government that gave supreme power to the central government Divided the government into executive, judicial, and legislative branches Legislative would be bicameral and each state would be represented based on population

The Great Compromise The New Jersey Plan was offered after two weeks of debate Unicameral legislature and each state would get the same amount of representatives Central government could tax citizens and regulate commerce The debate over the two types of government waged on

The Great Compromise The Great Compromise was when a new plan was constructed that called for a lower house to be based off of population and a higher house that was equally represented by all states

The Three-Fifths Compromise Southern states wanted slaves to be counted as their population when it came to determining Congressional seats but did not want to count them when it came to paying taxes The Three-Fifths Compromise counted each slave as three-fifths of person Northern delegates had to also agree to wait 20 years before seeking to end the slave trade

Our Living Constitution Most delegates wanted a strong national government but also wanted to protect popular sovereignty—political authority belongs to the people They also formed a federalist system- the power is shared between a central government and the states that make up a country Under the Constitution, states have control over government functions not specifically assigned to the Federal Government

A Delicate Balance The Federal Government has three branches The legislative branch is responsible for proposing and passing laws Senate has two representatives House of Representatives– represented according to population Executive Branch– includes the president and that help run the government Judicial Branch– national courts– interpreting the laws

A Delicate Balance The framers crated a system of checks and balances– keeps any branch from becoming too powerful The framers new the Constitution was not a perfect document

A Delicate Balance In September of 1787 the delegates signed the final draft of the Constitution The Constitution was then sent to the states for ratification

Focus Questions Why did the delegates meet for the Constitutional Convention? What were some of the main issues debated and compromises reached at the Constitutional Convention? How is the federal government balanced under the U.S. Constitution?