Chapter 3, section 1

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Chapter 3, section 1

• The Road to the Constitution

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Warm-up

• List 3 ways in which people with different views
  can settle an disagreement
• 1.)
• 2.)
• 3.)

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Possible Answers to Warm-up

• List 3 ways in which people with different views
  can settle an disagreement
• 1.) (nonproductive) fighting/ arguing
• 2.) (productive) compromise
• 3.) (productive) using a third party step in to
  mediate or negotiate

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Objectives (See DE Civics Standard Two)

• 1. Discuss the key decisions and proposals made
  at the Constitutional Convention.
• 2. Identify 3 constitutional compromises the
  delegates made.
• 3. Identify the Electoral College and explain why
  it was created.
• 4. Compare the positions of the Federalists and
  Anti-Federalists in regard to ratification of the
  Constitution.

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Vocabulary

• 1. federal system a system in which the power
  to govern is shared between a national government
  and the states
• 2. compromise an agreement in which each side
  agrees to give up something to get something more
  important
• 3. export to sell goods to other countries
• 4. Electoral College a group of people who
  elect the President and Vice President
• 5. Anti-Federalist a person who opposed the
  Constitution before 1789
• 6. Federalist a person who supported the
  Constitution before 1789

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1.) The Constitutional Convention

• A.) The People of the convention
• 1. 55 delegates from 12 states met in
  Philadelphia to discuss changing the Articles.
• 2. The delegates were not ordinary people they
  were professionals and business people.
• 3. The qualities that made them effective
• Well educated and experience in government.
• 4. Some famous members Ben Franklin, Alexander
  Hamilton, and George Washington

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1.) The Constitutional Convention

• B.) Key Decisions
• 1. Each state would have one vote.
• 2. A simple majority, seven of 13 votes, would
  decide any issue.
• 3. The work of the convention was kept secret.

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1.) The Constitutional Convention

• C.) Two plans of government
• 1. The Virginia Plan Similar to govt. today .
  Representation in each house would depend on the
  population of the state. This favored larger
  states.
• 2. The New Jersey Plan Argued for a plan
  similar to Articles. There would be equal
  representation in one house (uni-cameral).

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VA Plan vs NJ Plan

• VA Plan provided for a bi-cameral legislature
  where representation was determined by
  population. The Big State Plan.
• NJ Plan provided for a unicameral legislature
  where every state had equal representation. The
  small state plan.

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2. Constitutional Compromises

• A.) The Connecticut Compromise (The Great
  Compromise)
• 1. The new Congress would have two houses The
  Senate the House of Reps.
• 2. The Senate each state would have equal
  representation. This favored the New Jersey Plan.
• 3. The House of Reps would have representation
  based on each states population. This favored
  the VA plan.

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2. Constitutional Compromises

• B.) The Three-fifths Compromise
• 1. The southern states wanted to include slaves
  as part of population so they would have more
  power in Congress.
• 2. The northern states opposed this.
• 3. They finally agreed to include slaves as
  three-fifths of a person as long as the southern
  states paid taxes on them.

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2. Constitutional Compromises

• C.) The Slave Trade
• 1. The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise the
  South agreed that Congress could regulate trade
  between states, as well as with other countries.
  In exchange, the North agreed that Congress could
  not interfere with the slave trade for 20 years
  or tax exports

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3. The Electoral College

• A. Choosing a president
• 1. Some delegates thought that Congress should
  choose the President. They did not have faith in
  the common people to choose a good leader. Other
  believed the people should.
• 2. They created the Electoral College. Electors
  would select the President and Vice President.
• 3. We still use the Electoral College system
  today but the voters now choose electors
  directly.

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4. Ratification of the Constitution

• A. Ratify?
• 1. The Constitution was agreed upon and finally
  signed by delegates on September, 17, 1787.
• 2. The Constitution now had to go to the states
  to be ratified by state legislatures.
• 3. The Constitution would become law only when 9
  of the 13 states agreed to it or ratified it.

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4. Ratification of the Constitution

• B. Anti-Federalists
• 1. Opposed or were against the Constitution.
• 2. They felt that it gave the national or central
  govt. too much power.
• 3. They also wanted a Bill of Rights.
• C. Federalists
• 1. For the Constitution
• 2. Favored a strong central govt.

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4. Ratification of the Constitution

• D. Compromise again
• 1. Anti-federalists finally agreed to a Bill of
  Rights.
• 2. Federalists agreed to add Bill of Rights if
  Constitution would be adopted by
  Anti-Federalists.
• 3. On Dec. 7th, 1787, Delaware became the First
  State to ratify. On June 21, 1788. New Hampshire
  became the 9th state to ratify. The 13
  independent states were now one nation, the
  United States of America.

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Section 1 Assessment

• 1. What key decisions and proposals were made at
  the Constitutional Convention?
• Answer one vote per state, simple majority to
  decide issues, secrecy, Proposals VA Plan, NJ
  Plan

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Section 1 Assessment

• 2. What three constitutional compromises did
  convention delegates make?
• Answer Great Compromise, three-fifths, and
  Commerce and slave trade

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Section 1 Assessment

• 3. What is the Electoral College, and why was it
  created?
• Answer group chosen by each state legislature to
  select the President.
• 4. How did the positions of the Federalists and
  Anti-Federalists differ in regard to ratification
  of the Constitution?
• Answer Feds were for/AF were against

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Close

• Do you agree or disagree with the following and
  explain why
• The Framers of the Constitution should have
  prohibited slavery in the United States.