The Constitution Section 3 Chapter 7
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The Constitution
Section 3Chapter 7
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?
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