The Constitution
By Chelsea Zawadzki- Period 6
The Plans and The Decision
The two proposed plans were the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan proposed a plan for the new government. This Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with 3 branches; Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The New Jersey Plan assisted the small states which opposed the Virginia Plan. The New Jersey Plan also called for three branches of government but it called for a legislature with only one House. Each state would have one vote in the legislature, regardless of its population. Both plans were rejected and thus the Great Compromise was born.
Slavery And Trade
There were three main compromises made during this time to deal with slavery and trade were the Three-Fifths Compromise, Commerce Compromise, and the Slave Trade Compromise. The Three-Fifths Compromise ensured that every five slaves counted as three individuals in terms of the apportionment of representation and taxes. The Commerce Compromise led to congress being able to regulate trade, have no export tax, and have no limit on slave trade for 20 years. The Slave Trade Compromise made it clear that congress could not prohibit slave trade until 1808, but any import slaves could be taxed.
The Groups
The two groups at the Constitutional Convention were the North and the South. Both sides wanted very different things. The North wanted a strong government because they thought the Articles of Confederation were flawed but the South wanted a weaker government so that America didn't turn into a tyranny. The final decision was to make a stronger central government, but make the Bill of Rights for the people. The North was not too concerned about slavery, but the South wanted to be certain that the government did not mess with slavery. The solution was for congress to not be allowed to prohibit slavery for a set amount of time.
The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 different essays written to persuade New Yorkers to adopt the Constitution. They are a classic defense of the American Government and an application of political principals. Because of these, there was nationwide debate over constitutional principals. The final outcome of these papers was the ratification of the constitution, leading to the new rights we have today.