The American Digest
Issued September 1787
An Armed Uprising In Massachusetts
Lately, there have been series of protest by American farmers against state and local enforcements of tax collections and judgments for debt. This uprising has been most serious in Massachusetts, where bad harvests, economic depression, and high taxes threaten farmers with the loss of their farms. As a result local sheriffs have seized many farms and some farmers who could not pay their debts have been put in prison.
About The Convention
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia took place in May 25 to September 17. They had been meeting to address the problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain. Some of the men who made it happen were James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and many more.
The Virginia Plan ( A.K.A The Randolph Plan)
The Virginia Plan has been a very popular event in Virginia currently. The Virginia plan had been proposed by Virginian delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan was drafted by James Madison. The Virginia Plan has been notable for its role in setting the overall agenda for debate in the convention and, in particular, for setting forth the idea of population-weighted representation in the proposed national legislature.
The New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan has also been a widely spoken about topic in New Jersey lately. The New Jersey Plan has been a proposal for the structure of the United States Government which was presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15. The plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan, which called for two houses of Congress, both elected with apportionment according to population. The New Jersey Plan was opposed by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, the proponents of the Virginia Plan.
The Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise ( A.K.A The Great Compromise) is an agreement that large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention that in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution. It retains the bicameral legislature as proposed by Roger Sherman, along with proportional representation in the lower house, but requires the upper house to be weighted equally between the states. Each state will have two representatives in the upper house.
The 3/5ths Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise is a compromise agreed on between delegates from southern states and those from northern states during the United States Constitutional Convention. The debate was over if slaves are to be counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxing purposes. The issue has been very important, as this population number would then be used to determine the number of seats that the state would have in the United States House of Representatives for the next ten years, and to determine what percentage of the nation's direct tax burden the state would have to bear. The compromise has been proposed by delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman.