US History Ch 8.3

1. U.S. History
Chapter 8: Forming a Government
Section 3: The Constitution

2. The Constitutional Convention
•Feb 1787:
Confederation
Congress invites
states to send
delegates to
discuss ways to
improve
Articles

3. The Constitutional Convention
•Constitutional Convention
—convention in which
delegates discuss ways to
improve the Articles of
Confederation

5. Benjamin
Franklin

6. James
Madison

7. George
Washington

8. The Great Compromise
•Dividing Issues
–Make revisions/Rewrite
–Representation
–Slavery
–Economic policies
–Power of government

9. The Virginia Plan
a.k.a The Big State Plan

10. The Great Compromise
•Presented by Edmund Randolph
•Written mainly by James Madison

11. The Great Compromise
•The Virginia Plan
–Government with three
branches
–Bicameral legislature

12. The Great Compromise
•The Virginia Plan
–Favored large states by basing
representation in the
legislature on state population
–Disliked by small states

13. The New Jersey Plan
a.k.a The Small State Plan

14. The Great Compromise
•Presented
by NJ
delegate
William
Paterson
William Paterson

15. The Great Compromise
•New Jersey Plan
–Unicameral legislature
–All states had an equal
number of votes

16. The Great Compromise
•New Jersey Plan
–Power to tax & regulate
congress
–Disliked by big states

17. The Great Compromise
•The “Great Compromise”:
–Upper House (Senate): each state
would have an equal number of votes
–Lower House (House of Reps): votes
apportioned based on state population

18. Three-Fifths Compromise
•Regional Differences
–South: wanted slaves to be
counted in state populations
–North: wanted number of slaves
to determine taxes, not
representation

19. Three-Fifths Compromise
•Three-Fifths Compromise
–Resolved disputes over the
southern slaves population
–3/5 of slaves in each state
count in determining a state’s
population

20. Three-Fifths Compromise
•Foreign slave trade
–North: agreed to not end slave
trade for twenty years
–South: agreed to stop insisting
laws require 2/3 majority for
passage

21. Our Living Constitution
•Popular Sovereignty—
the idea that political
authority belongs to
the people

22. Our Living Constitution
•Federalism—sharing of
power between a
central government and
the states that make up
a country

24. A Delicate Balance
•Three
Branches
–Legislative:
proposes &
passes laws
U.S. Capital

25. A Delicate Balance
•Three
Branches
–Executive:
makes sure
laws are
carried out
White House

26. A Delicate Balance
•Three Branches
–Judicial Branch:
interpreting law,
punishing
criminals,
settling duties
Supreme Court
Building

27. A Delicate Balance
•Checks & Balances—
ensures that no one
branch of government
will overpower another

31. Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan
The Great Compromise

32. Northern States Southern States
3/5 Compromise