Constitutional Convention

When:

May-Sept. 1787

Where:

Philadelphia, PA

How many votes should each state get in the

new national government

(that is, Congress)?

Main Controversy #1:

How many votes should each state get in the new Congress?

Wanted vote based on population

Wanted each state to have one vote

Main Controversy #1:

Big states Virginia

PennsylvaniaMassachusetts

Small states DelawareGeorgia

Connecticut

Solution: Created a Congress with Two Parts (two “houses”)

Part #1: The House of Representatives

(based on population)

Part #2: The Senate (2 votes per state)

Senate House of Representatives

California

Alaska

2

2

53

1

Should slavery be legal under the new government?

Wanted to end slavery Wanted to allow thecontinuation of slavery

Main Controversy #2:

Northern states Southern states

“Solution”: Allowed Slavery to Continue Unchanged

• Regarding representation in

Congress, a slave would count as 3/5

of a person

Why did the northern states cave?

To keep the new nation together

Okay, so in its simplest form, the Constitution boils

down to this…..

The Preamble:

We the people of the United States of America,

in order to form a more perfect union,

establish justice,

insure domestic tranquility,

provide for the common defense,

promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this

Constitution for the United States of America.

Article I

• Article I: The Legislative Branch

• Creates bicameral Congress:

--House of Representatives (based on

population)

--U.S. Senate (2 per state)

Article II

• Article II : The Executive Branch

• Creates a strong president

• Election through the Electoral College

What is the Electoral College?

• Method spelled out in the Constitution for how we elect the president

• “Popular vote” is indirectly, not directly used

Electoral College Game

• Each state has a “point” value (# of U.S. Representatives from that state + # of U.S. Senators from that state)

• Example:

California

Alabama

53 Representatives + 2 Senators = 55 Electoral Votes

7 Representatives + 2 Senators = 9 Electoral Votes

Electoral College Game continued

Whichever candidate gets more popular votes in a state gets ALL that state’s electoral votes (points)

Whichever candidate gets 270 electoral votes (points) WINS!

2004 Electoral College MapKerry (Blue)--251 Bush (Red)--286

Why did the Founding Fathers set it up this way?

• Poor Communication• Mistrust of the people

Article III

• Article III: The Judicial Branch

• Creates Supreme Court and other federal courts

2 Ways the Constitution Divides Up Power

•Checks & Balances

•Federalism

“Checks & Balances” Triangle

“Checks & balances”

Federalism—Dividing Power Between National Govt and State Governments

Anti-Federalists Arguments Against the Constitution

1. Gives WAY too much power to national government

2.Too much emphasis on property rights, not enough on individual rights

3.Won’t work in such a large nation

4. It’s a dangerous experiment/never been tried

5. Power in the hands of a very few people

Ratification

Federalists – James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay

Federalists Arguments in Favor of Constitution

1.Stronger central government needed to maintain order, stability

2.Built in checks and balances will prevent abuse of power

3.This plan of government will actually work better in a big country by not allowing one

“faction” to take control

A “Bundle of Compromises”

Ex. #1 - The “Great” Compromise