Constitutional Convention
By: Nathan Rossmeisl
Constitutional Convention
The constitutional convention was a convention that was held for the 12 of the 13 states to meet and get on an agreement with each other. It is where there was a meeting held drafting a new constitution. Rhode Island stayed out of this meeting because they were a weaker state and they did not send anyone. Meetings were held strict and with no public or media or anyone else in the room. Delegates worked to draft the framework for the new government. There were 55 delegates known as framers and of those framers a third of them served in the continental army, and 8 had signed the declaration of independence. George Washington was the head of the convention while James Madison had a huge influence. Delegates all gathered up in Philadelphia planning on revising the articles of confederation but ended up on creating a new government.
Virginia Plan
This plan was influenced off the ideas by James Madison which will have a central government that will be divided up into three branches that have the power to check one or the other. The three branches are legislative, executive, and judicial branch. This plan called for a really strong national government, that had the power to make laws, levy taxes, override state laws, and control interstate commerce. It called for a bicameral legislature with membership based on the states population. So the upper house members will be picked by the state legislatures and the lower house members will be picked/elected by the people.
New Jersey Plan
The delegates that were from small states didn't like the Virginia plan because they felt like it gave too much power for the bigger states. The New Jersey Plan called for a strong central government made up of three branches, but was designed to stick closer to the Articles of Confederation. It called for a single legislative chamber known as "unicameral" legislature. Each state would have one vote regardless on the population and how big the state was and every state had equal representation. This plan was rejected at the convention even though they had the small states support.
Edmund Randolph
Edmund is the representative of Philadelphia and he came up with the Virginia plan idea where there will be three separate branches based on each states population and wealth. Presented the Virginia Plan which was the root of the debate of the constitutional convention. Randolph served as Washington's Attorney General and later as Secretary of State.
James Madison
Is the major author of the Virginia plan and is a supporter of a strong national government. He was the 4th president of the United States of America. He made a contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, the Federalist essays. Madison is known as the Father of Constitutions.
William Paterson
Proposed the New Jersey Plan, which had a unicameral legislature with equal representatives in each state. Paterson was the head of new jersey delegations and was elected one of the states first two U.S. senators. He served as the governor of New Jersey when he was named an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Died in 1806
Roger Sherman
Proposed the great compromise, and it called for equal representation in the senate and representation based on state population in the house. He studied law and became a judge and than had a long term career in government. Sherman signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. He was elected house of representatives and senate.
Problems That Arose At The Convention
Problems that arose at the convention is that the small states and large states had to compromise with each other. An issue that was talked about was the source of the national governments power. The large states said it should be the people and the smaller states said it should be the states. The compromise was that it should be the people and not the states. The Virginia plan was the large states plans and the new jersey plan were the small states plan. Another issue that was held at the convention was what the structure of legislature should be. The Virginia plan said bicameral congress and the new jersey plan said it should be unicameral congress. The compromise was that it will be a bicameral congress. Another issue that rose during the convention is the kind of judicial branch they should have. The Virginia plan said it should be national court system with power to overturn state laws. While the new jersey plan said it should be a national court system with no power over the states, and the compromise was that it will be a national court system with power to overturn state laws. Another issue that came across the convention is if the slaves should be counted as population, and they came up with to count one third of the slaves as part of the population for the state.
Citation
https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/43/26043-004-AAB78522.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/James_Madison.jpg
https://api.oyez.org/sites/default/files/images/people/william_paterson/william_paterson.jpg
http://www.adherents.com/images/FF/Roger_Sherman.jpg
http://www.ushistory.org/germantown/people/randolph.htm
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/jamesmadison
http://www.biography.com/people/william-paterson-9434637#synopsis
http://www.biography.com/people/roger-sherman-9482029
Notes from Classroom