1. The Constitutional Convention
Chapter 7, Section 2
The Constitutional Convention

2. Setting the Scene
Throughout the hot summer of 1787 delegates passed in and out of the doors of the Philadelphia State House. Guards kept the public from overhearing the debates inside.
Philadelphians were curious and excited, waiting for four months to learn the fate of their new republic.

3. The Delegates to the Convention
The Constitutional Convention opened on May 25, Every state except Rhode Island sent representatives.
The 55 delegates were a remarkable group; 8 of them had signed the declaration of independence.
Benjamin Franklin, the oldest delegate, was wise in the ways of government.

4. The Delegates to the Convention
James Madison of Virginia was the best prepared delegate. The shy 36 year old strongly influenced the document and is now called “The father of the constitution.”

5. The Delegates to the Convention
Alexander Hamilton of New York was another delegate of the new generation.
During the Revolution, Hamilton served as Washington’s secretary.
Hamilton despised the Articles of Confederation, instead favoring a strong central government instead.
Hamilton would have agreed with Webster’s quote that individual states had too much power to form a true union.

6. Two Rival Plans
George Washington also attended – he was quickly voted in as President of the Convention.
Soon after the meeting began, most delegates realized that they could not just revise the Articles, they would have to write an entirely new Constitution.
They disagreed, however, about what form the national government should take.

7. The Virginia Plan
James Madison of Virginia proposed the Virginia Plan, which called for a strong national government with three branches.
The Legislative branch would pass laws.
The Executive branch would carry out the laws.
The Judicial branch, a series of courts, would decide if laws were carried out fairly.

8. The Virginia Plan
Under this plan the legislature would have two houses.
To pass a law, most of the representatives from both houses would have to vote for the law.
Seats would be awarded by population, so larger states would have more representatives in both houses.
Under the old Articles, each state had one vote in the legislature.

9. The New Jersey Plan
Small states opposed the Virginia plan; they feared that larger states would easily outvote them in Congress.
William Paterson of New Jersey presented a new plan that would support smaller states.
According to the New Jersey Plan, each state would have one vote in the legislature. It also called for three branches, though its legislature would have only one house.

10. The Great Compromise
Tempers flared as both sides argued for their own plans.
Finally, Roger Sherman of Connecticut worked out a compromise (an agreement where both sides give up some demands.)
Sherman’s plan called for a two house legislature.
The lower house, known as the House of Representatives, would be elected by popular vote.
In the upper house, called the Senate, each state would have two representatives.

11. The Great Compromise
The Great Compromise resolved the conflict between the Virginia and New Jersey plans.
On July 16 the delegates narrowly approved the plan.

12. The Constitutional Convention
What was the name of the new plan that resolved these two plans?
How many votes did each state get in the Senate according
to the New Jersey Plan?

13. Northern and Southern States Compromise
Now that small and large states could agree it was time for the northern and southern states to do the same.
The largest debate was over whether or not slaves would be counted as part of a state’s population.
If they did count, then southern states would have more people in the House of Representatives.

14. The Three Fifths Compromise
Northern states objected to this because slave had no rights and were technically property. If slaves could actually vote they would vote against their white masters.
In the Three Fifths Compromise, both sides agreed that for every five slaves a state had, three would count toward the state’s representation in Congress.

15. Northern and Southern States Compromise
North and south also disagreed about slavery itself.
Northerners wanted to ban the slave trade, but southerners warned it would ruin the economy.
They compromised, deciding that Congress could not ban the trade for 20 years and that fugitive slaves would be returned to their masters if found.

16. Signing the Constitution
Finally, after these arguments and more, the delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787.
Many agreed with Ben Franklin, who claimed the document was as perfect as a constitution could be.
The Constitution would have to be approved by 9 of the 13 states to go into effect.

17. Ideas Behind the Constitution
Chapter 7, Section 3
Enlightenment thinker Jean Jacques Rousseau
Ideas Behind the Constitution

18. The Founding Fathers
Thomas Jefferson served as ambassador to France while the Constitution was being drafted. Fellow Virginian James Madison asked Jefferson to send some books back to America that would throw some light on different types of government.
Jefferson sent back hundreds of books! Today we often call men like Madison and Jefferson the Founding Fathers, but these men did not actually create most of the ideas they put in the Constitution.

19. The Lessons of Rome
When the Constitutional Convention began, many delegates looked to the ancient examples of Rome and Greece.
Many wanted America to be a Republic, a government in which the people rule themselves through elected representatives.
There were problems with this idea; no republic had existed for over 1,000 years, and none of them had survived long.

20. The Lessons of Rome
The original citizens of Rome stressed independence and public service. They served in public office for the good of their republic, not for power.
The colonists admired Rome for these reasons. American political writers often used pen names like “Cicero” or “Cincinnatus.”
Cincinnatus, a poor farmer, led Rome to victory in war, then quickly retired, refusing to hold power.

21. The Lessons of Rome
The way in which the Roman Empire collapsed served as a warning to the Founding Fathers.
Romans slowly began to value comfort and luxury more than independence. Rome became a dictatorship under Caesar.
Not only could republics be conquered by outsiders, they could rot from the inside if the citizens were not educated and dedicated.

22. Britain’s Tradition of Freedom
Though Americans had divided from Britain, colonists valued the British tradition of freedom.
In 1215, King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta. Under this “Great Charter,” the King had to obey the law and could not raise taxes without permission from Parliament.

23. Britain’s Tradition of Freedom
The Magna Carta also gave British nobles (and later commoners) guaranteed rights to property and trials.
In 1689, the English Bill of Rights went even further in protecting citizens. This document allowed citizens to bear arms and declared that no one can be held in prison without cause (Habeas Corpus.)

24. Teachings of the Enlightenment
The Constitution was strongly influenced by European Enlightenment thinkers.
Most of the founding fathers had read the works of philosophers like John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu.
Locke was an Englishman who had published works nearly 100 years before the Revolution.

25. Teachings of the Enlightenment
In Locke’s writing, Two Treatises of Government, he declared that all people had natural rights to life, liberty and property.
Locke also said that government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled. If a ruler did not protect people’s rights, the people had a right to rebel.

26. Teachings of the Enlightenment
The French Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu declared that the powers of government should be divided up and clearly defined. He suggested 3 branches be created: the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
This idea is known as the separation of powers.

27. The American Experience
The Founding Fathers depended on the enlightenment thinkers when they drafted the Constitution, but they also learned from their own experiences.
Americans had a history of self government and constitutions beginning with the Mayflower Compact.
All 13 colonies had their own constitution before the revolution.

28. The American Experience
Americans had also learned from their conflict with King George.
Many of the ideas in the Constitution came directly from the Declaration of Independence and the Second Continental Congress.
The new Constitution had no King, and strictly limited the role of the President, even in matters of war.