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Define these words: Constitutional Convention, legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch, compromise

7 Things you didn’t know about the Constitutional Convention!

An air of mystery hung over the State House The closed windows made the room extraordinarily hot as () in in the summer of 1787. Citizens electric fans and air conditioning did not yet exist! watched as the nation’s greatest leaders passed in and out of the BATHING New Englanders in their wool suits suffered terribly in the building. Eleven years earlier, some of the same men had signed heat but southern delegates, who wore suits comprised of cotton, the Declaration of Independence there. What the heck was were less bothered. happening now!? US Gets a Constitution HOPELESSLY DIVIDED For almost four months, the people of Philadelphia would Soon after the meeting began, the delegates realized that have no clue as to what was happening! then articles needed much more than simply revised. They chose to THE CONVENTION OPENS write an entirely new constitution for the USA. However, they disagreed tremendously as to what form the national government On May 25, 1787, the Constitutional Convention opened should take. in Phi ladelphia. Every state except sent representatives. Their was to fix or revise the Articles of THE PLAN Confederation. and of Virginia, proposed a plan for the new government. This called for The 55 delegates that gathered in Philly were an amazing group of men. , the oldest delegate at the a strong national government with three branches. The legislative branch would pass the laws. The executive branch would carry-out the convention , was eighty one years old! However, age did not stop him from being incredibly wise in the ways of government and laws and the judicial branch (courts) would decide if the laws were nature! George was a representative from carried out fairly. According to the Virginia Plan, the legislative branch Virginia and was so well respected because of his past, that the would comprise two houses. Seats in both houses (members) would representatives quickly elected him the president of the convention! be based on population. This would mean that states with larger populations would have more representatives than smaller ones. This Undoubtedly the most-prepared delegate to the was much different than the Articles of Confederation, which gave convention was James Madison from Virginia! This guy did his EVERY state, regardless of population ONE vote in Congress. homework! For months, the 100 and incredibly shy Madison secluded himself on his father’s plantation in Virginia and studied THE NEW PLAN history, politics and commerce and arrived in Philadelphia with a Small states hated the Virginia plan! They feared that the case full of his research! large states could easily outvote them in Congress! In response, the

Many delegates were very young! Most of them were only supporters of the Virginia Plan said that it was only fair for a state with more people to have more representatives. in their twenties and thirties! One of the delegates was a man who served under Washington as his private secretary, After two weeks of arguing and debating these plans, Alexander . Hamilton hated the Articles of Confederation William Patterson of presented an plan that had the and wrote that they and the nation “were sick and wants powerful support of the smaller states. Just like Virginia’s plan, the New Jersey remedies. ” The powerful remedy (cure) was a strong national Plan proposed three branches of government. However, it provided a government. with only ONE house. Each state, no matter its population,

When the convention began, the delegates wanted to would have ONE vote in the legislature. keep their discussions secret and be able to speak their minds freely without anyone from outside hearing what they were discussing!

To ensure the utmost secrecy, guards stood at the doors and all of the windows were closed and shuttered so that no one outside could hear the debates!

THE GREAT COMPROMISE THE SLAVE TRADE

For a long time, no agreement could be reached. With There was another disagreement over . By 1787, some tempers flaring, it seemed like the Convention would fall apart northern states had banned the slave trade within their borders. They without adopting ANY plan! But, of urged that the slave trade be banned in the ENTIRE nation! Southerners worked out a compromise (deal) that would benefit all of the warned that such a ban would ruin and crush the southern economy. states. Sherman’s compromise called for a two house legislature. Members of the lower house, known as the House of In the end, the two groups compromised again. Northern Representatives, would be elected by popular vote. As the larger states agreed that Congress could NOT outlaw slavery for at least states wished, seats in the lower house would be awarded to each twenty years. After that, Congress could regulate the slave trade if it state according to its population. wished. Northerners also agreed that no state could stop a fugitive slave from being returned to an owner who claimed that slave. Members of the , called the Senate, would be chosen by the members of the state . Each state, no SIGNING THE CONSTITUTION matter its size, would have two senators. The smaller states liked this part of Sherman’s plan! As summer drew to a close, the weary delegates struggled with other difficult questions. How many years should the President On July 16, the delegates narrowly approved Sherman’s (head of the executive branch) serve? How should the courts be plan. It became known as “The Great Compromise.” Each side had organized? Would members of Congress be paid? to give up some demands for the good of the country. Finally, on September 17, 1787, the Constitution was ready! NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN STATES COMPROMISE Gathering together for the final time, the delegates listened intently as Ben Franklin to urge the document be accepted! Just as there were disagreements between large and small states, there were disagreements between northern and Click here and read what he said! southern states. (what do YOU think the big factor was?) These disagreements concerned the issue of slavery. Would slaves be One by one the delegates came forward to sign the new counted as a part of that state’s population? Would the slave trade document. Of the 42 delegates in Philadelphia, 39 signed it. Edmund continue to bring African slaves to the ? Randolph (VA), Elbridge Gerry (MA) and (VA), refused to sign because they felt that the new document gave too much power to CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT SLAVERY the national government.

THE THREE FIFTHS COMPROMISE The Constitution required that each state hold a convention to decide if the new government should be accepted. Once the Southerners wanted to include slaves in the population Constitution was accepted and endorsed by nine out of thirteen states, it count even though they would NOT let slaves vote. If slaves were would go into effect. Before that happened, the states debated and counted, the southern states would have had more votes (bigger discussed the constitution. population) in the House of Representatives. Northerners argues that if slaves could not vote, then they should not be counted as part of the population! c ool v id eo on the founding fathers ! Once again, the delegates had to compromise. They click to see who was who at the convention! agreed that three fifths of the slaves in ANY states would be counted. In other words, if a state had 5,000 slaves, 3,000 would be counted as part of the population. This agreement became known as the Three-Fifths Compromise. did people back then stink?!

more smelly people info.

click to see who was who at convention

Ben Franklin’s grave