Creating the Constitution: A Living Document, Brought to Life
(Lecture Notes from Mr. Kersey's 8th Grade U.S. History Class)Meeting in Philadelphia
- In May of 1787, 55 delegates from 12 states met to revise the Articles of Confederation.
- They were there to make a federal government that would work.
- Many delegates thought that the Articles should be revised.
- Others thought they needed to be rewritten.
- Small and large states had different ideas about representation.
- Southern and northern states had different ideas about the economy and slavery.
- Some states wanted a strong national government, and some wanted as much power as possible to remain with the states.
- There were many different ideas and plans.
- The delegates needed to reach a compromise.
The Virginia Plan
- The Virginia Plan was one of the two major plans for a new government that were proposed.
- It was written mostly by James Madison.
- The Virginia Plan included these points:
- Strong central government
- 3 branches of government
- A bicameral legislature
- Delegates in both houses of the legislature would be chosen according to each state’s population.
The New Jersey Plan
- Known as the small state plan.
- It would keep Congress the way it was.
- Called for a unicameral legislature.
- Each state would get the same number of votes.
The Great Compromise
- Finally the delegates reached an agreement.
- They kept most of the Virginia Plan.
- In the Upper House (Senate) states got an equal number of votes.
- In the Lower House (House of Representatives), representation was based on population.
Three-Fifths Compromise
- There was still one problem to solved. Slave states had a lot more people than non-slave states.
- Northern states thought that was unfair.
- The group reached a compromise saying that 3/5 of the slaves in a state could be counted as part of the population.
