1. UNIT I – Foundations of American Government
Success in Compromise
Day 3
UNIT I – Foundations of American Government

2. Pre-Convention Questions
What is a constitution?
Why is it important?
What is the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution?
What rights does the Constitution give us?
Answer questions as a group on your own sheet of paper.
Choose one person in your group to be your speaker throughout this activity.

3. Who are you?
Read the excerpt given to you about who you are at the time of the convention.
Answer the questions that follow the same sheet that you answers your pre-convention questions.
Your group speaker needs to be prepared to share answers with the class.

4. Burning Issues – Round 1
After reading the “Burning Issues” as a class discuss with your groups your responses to these issues.
Be sure to keep your role play in mind.
Place an asterisk next to the two items that you find to be the most important (i.e. what you won’t budge on and what you want others to agree with you on)

5. Burning Issues – Round 2
After resolving your issues as a group, choose two traveling negotiators for your group.
These traveling negotiators will travel around to other groups and try to recruit members from other groups to vote with them.
Non-traveling members will listen to negotiators from other groups and take their propositions into consideration.
Keep in mind that this should be a give and take process.

6. Burning Issues – Round 3
Traveling negotiators should return to their groups and final decisions should be made.
Group speaker needs to be prepared to vote for the group. Each group only gets one vote.

7. Burning Issues – Round 4 – The VOTE
How do each groups vote on the following…

8. Should slavery continue to be legal in any of the United States?
AGAINST
FOR
__________________
__________________

9. Should the Constitution continue to allow the slave trade?
AGAINST
FOR
__________________
__________________

10. Should northerners be forced to turn over runaway slaves to their owners?
AGAINST
FOR
__________________
__________________

11. Should the federal government continue to allow “in kind” debt payment?
AGAINST
FOR
__________________
__________________

12. Should bonds be paid back?
AGAINST
FOR
__________________
__________________

13. Who should be allowed to vote in general elections?
Southern Planter –
Farmer –
Enslaved African American –
Banker/Merchant –
Worker –

14. Who really won?
Complete worksheet while looking at the actual Constitution.

15. The Constitutional Convention
Important facts and compromises

16. Constitutional Convention
Written mostly by James Madison – known as the “Father of the Constitution”
Written in the summer of 1787 in complete secrecy – why do you think it was done in secret?
Original intention was to adjust the AoC
Needed 9 of the 13 states to ratify (approve) the new Constitution for it to become effective
June of 1788 – New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify

17. Tale of Two Plans May 29, 1787 June 15, 1787 James Madison
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
When was the plan proposed?
Who created the plan?
How many houses did the plan call for in the legislature?
What was representation based on?
Who favored the plan and why?
May 29, 1787
June 15, 1787
James Madison
William Paterson
Bicameral (2 Houses)
Unicameral (1 House)
One vote for each state
Population
Big States
Small States

18. Constitutional Compromises
Important Info to Know
Great Compromise
3/5 Compromise
Who headed the committee that created the Great Compromise?
How would representation be determined in each house?
House of Representatives
Senate
3. What other name is given to the Great Compromise?
Why did Southern states want to count slaves as a part of their population?
Why did Northern states disagree with the Southern states?
What was he overall outcome of the compromise?

19. Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
Electoral Compromise
How did Northern and Southern states differ in their opinions about trade?
What trading did Southern states fear would come to a stop?
What was the overall compromise that was created?
What was the issue at hand when it came to deciding how to elect the president?
What became the solution to this issue?

20. Comparison of the A.O.C. and the Constitution
Articles of Confederation
U.S. Constitution
Weak National Government
No executive branch, no president
No national court
Congress only has one house (unicameral)
Congress does not have tax-collecting power
Confederate form of government
Strong National Government
Separate executive branch to enforce Congress’ laws
Separate judicial branch to interpret Congress’ laws
Bicameral legislature (Senate and House of Reps)
Congress given power to collect taxes
Federal form of government; power shared with states