1. The Constitutional Convention
Unit Lesson 2
The Constitutional Convention

2. Objective
SWUT delegates to the constitutional convention of 1787 had to compromise on key issues in order to complete a new constitution.

3. What exactly does Compromise mean?
A settlement of differences by mutual concessions; an agreement reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims, principles, etc., by reciprocal modification of demands.

4. The Constitutional Convention
The goal of the convention was to revise the articles of confederation to make them stronger.
The Constitutional Convention
The convention opened May 25, 1787

5. The Constitutional Convention
Delegates included men such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
The Constitutional Convention
The convention opened May 25, 1787

6. The Constitutional Convention
George Washington was so well respected by the other delegates that they immediately appointed him President of the convention.
The Constitutional Convention
The convention opened May 25, 1787

7. The Constitutional Convention
The delegates agreed to keep all their debates private so that they would be free to speak their minds without outside interference or influence.
The Constitutional Convention
The convention opened May 25, 1787

8. The Constitutional Convention
In order to keep the debates secret they kept the windows closed which caused the room to get very hot in the summer.
The Constitutional Convention
The convention opened May 25, 1787

9. The Constitutional Convention
Soon after the debates began James Madison convinced the other delegates that they needed to do more than just revise the articles of confederation.
The Constitutional Convention
The convention opened May 25, 1787

10. The Constitutional Convention
James Madison proposed they scrap the Articles and write an entirely new Constitution. He had already created a plan for the new government that became known as the Virginia Plan.
The Constitutional Convention
The Virginia Plan

11. The Constitutional Convention
This plan called for a strong national government with three branches, a strong bi- cameral legislature, a weaker chief executive and a judicial branch.
The Constitutional Convention
The Virginia Plan

12. The Constitutional Convention
The legislature was to be the most powerful branch balanced by the other two and would be numbered according to the populations of the other states.
The Constitutional Convention
The Virginia Plan

13. The Constitutional Convention
The smaller states objected to choosing legislatures based on population and instead wanted an equal number from each state in uni- cameral legislature.
The Constitutional Convention
The New Jersey Plan

14. The Constitutional Convention
Roger Sherman of Connecticut proposed that the plans be merged so that one house of the legislature, the upper house called the senate, would receive two seats per state.
The Constitutional Convention
The Great Compromise

15. The Constitutional Convention
The lower house of the legislature called the House of Representatives would receive seats based on population. This compromise narrowly passed.
The Constitutional Convention
The Great Compromise

16. The Constitutional Convention
The delegates also fought over whether there should be one chief executive or three, finally settling with one.
The Constitutional Convention
The Chief Executive

17. The Constitutional Convention
The most serious disagreement at the convention was over the issue of slavery. Would slaves be allowed to vote and would they be counted when deciding the number of representitives each state could send to congress.
The Constitutional Convention
The Three-Fifths Compromise

18. The Constitutional Convention
The southern states wanted to count their slaves when apportioning seats in the House of Representatives but would not allow those slaves to vote.
The Constitutional Convention
The Three-Fifths Compromise

19. The Constitutional Convention
The northern states insisted that the slaves either be allowed to vote or else not be counted in apportioning seats in the house.
The Constitutional Convention
The Three-Fifths Compromise

20. The Constitutional Convention
They finally agreed that slaves would not be allowed to vote but that they would only count three out of every five slaves when apportioning seats in congress.
The Constitutional Convention
The Three-Fifths Compromise

21. The Constitutional Convention
Some of the northern states also wished to ban the slave trade. The southern states believed that this would hurt the southern economy.
The Constitutional Convention
The Slave Trade

22. The Constitutional Convention
They finally agreed that congress would not be allowed to ban the slave trade for 20 years. After that it would be free to act as it saw fit.
The Constitutional Convention
The Slave Trade

23. The Constitutional Convention
The delegates debated all summer long. They argued over how long the terms of office for the various officials should be.
The Constitutional Convention
The Final Details

24. The Constitutional Convention
They argued over how the courts should be organized. They even argued over whether and how much members of congress should be paid.
The Constitutional Convention
The Final Details

25. The Constitutional Convention
Finally on September 17, 1787, 52 of the remaining 55 delegates signed the Constitution. The other three refused believing that it gave too much power to the national government.
The Constitutional Convention
Signing The Constitution

26. The Constitutional Convention
The new Constitution called for each of the states to call a convention of their own. Once nine of the thirteen states had ratified the Constitution it would take effect.
The Constitutional Convention
Signing The Constitution

27. The End!!!