At the Philadelphia State House, 55 delegates
from 12 states met in May 1787. These delegates were white men who
owned property. They were bankers, lawyers, planters, and merchants.
These men were chosen by people to represent them.
George Washington was elected as the president
of the convention. It was also decided to keep the meetings of the
convention private and not share what was being discussed. The delegates
wanted to be able to speak clearly and not worry what other people thought.
During the convention, Madison took notes of everything that was discussed.
That is how we know what went on during the convention. James Madison
was very organized for this convention. He had many ideas for his
country. He wanted a stronger government. The Articles of Confederation
gave the government no power. James Madison had written a plan for
a more powerful government. The delegates liked Madison's ideas and
decided to use them to write a new constitution. That is why James
Madison is known as the "Father of the Constitution".
The delegates planned to have three branches
of government.
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Legislative - Makes laws (Congress)
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Executive - Carries out the laws (President)
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Judicial - Decides the meaning of the laws (Supreme Court)
The delegates agreed the new government should
allow the people to elect representatives to run the country. They
did agree the people would get to vote for the members of Congress.
But the delegates had a big question to answer. How
should each state be represented in the new Congress? (The Virginia Plan)
The
delegates from larger states felt that the number of representatives for
Congress should be based on each state's population. Of course the
smaller states disagreed. They felt each state should have the same
number of representatives. By doing this, every state would have
the same power. Larger states or smaller states would not have more
power. (The New Jersey Plan)
Should larger states get more representatives
in Congress?
Should all states have the same number of
representatives in Congress?
The men of the convention
became frustrated and it seemed they were not going to be able solve this
problem. Finally, they came to what is called the
Great Compromise. The states agreed
that Congress should be split into two parts. The House
of Representatives would be made up of representatives
based on the state's population. Larger states would get more representatives
than the smaller states. The Senate
would
have the same number of representatives from each state. Each state
would get two senators no matter how big or small the state's population
was.
The men of the convention
also argued whether or not the slaves should be counted. States with
little or no slaves, mainly those in the New England and Middle Atlantic,
would be at a disadvantage if the slave population was counted. This
would mean they would get less representatives in the House of Representatives.
The delegates finally compromised. They decided to count 3/5 of the
slave population in the first Census in 1790.
The delegates met
for the last time on September 17. They had worked hard to create
a more powerful government.
Questions
that arose during the Convention:
-
How should each state be represented
in the new Congress?
-
Should larger states get more representatives
in Congress?
-
Should all states have the same
number of representatives in Congress?
-
Should the slave population be counted?
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