Download Outcome: What compromises were needed to get the

From Monday night: What
compromises were needed to
get the Constitution approved
by the Constitutional
Convention?
The Basic Conflicts:
Large (more populated) states
vs. small (fewer people) states
North vs. South
How much power should the new
central government have?
The Virginia Plan (Large
states)
• Representation in the new
Congress should be based on a
state’s population—the more
people, the more representatives
The New Jersey Plan (Small
states)
• No, the new Congress should be
based on equal representation—
each state should have the same
number of legislators and the same
power
• What’s the problem?
The Great Compromise
1. The new Congress will be
bicameral
2. One house (The House of
Representatives) will be based on
population
3. The other house (The Senate) will
be based on equal
representation—two Senators per
state
The Second Problem
• Should slaves be counted in
determining the number of
representatives in the new House
of Representatives?
• Should they be counted to figure
the amount of taxes each state
owes the new central government?
• 1 in 9 Americans was a slave!
The South’s Position
• Of course you should count slaves
when determining how many
representatives our states are
allowed
• It’s absolute nonsense to count
slaves for figuring taxes—they’re
just chattel (property)
The North’s position?
The Three-Fifths Compromise
• When determining
representation and taxation,
each slave will be counted as
three-fifths of a human being
How does this compromise
reveal that America’s got a lot
of trouble in her future?
Looking ahead: The Last
Compromise
• How much power should the new
government have?
• FEDERALISTS: We need a strong
government—the Articles were a
disaster
• ANTI-FEDERALISTS: A
government that’s too strong
threatens the rights of the people
Even this problem had a
sectional (regional) quality
• Many Northerners, whose leader
was Alexander Hamilton, were
FEDERALISTS
• Many Southerners, whose leader
was Jefferson, were ANTIFEDERALISTS
The Solution: The Bill of Rights
• The two sides agree that in
exchange for ratifying (approving)
the Constitution, the people will
have guarantees that their
unalienable rights will be protected
Conservatives tend to believe in
•
•
•
•
•
Strong national defense
Traditional religious values
Limited national government
Free-enterprise capitalism
Tend to come from business
owners, many professionals,
middle to upper class
Liberals tend to believe in
• Making society economically fairer
• Civil liberties
• Negotiation rather than
confrontation
• Tolerance of those who are
different
• Tend to be working class, middleclass, urban poor