Road to constitution

FAILURE OF ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

State governments too powerful:–Power to tax:–Power to regulate trade:–Power to dictate policy to national

government:–Power to raise militia:

NEED FOR A STRONGER NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

• Great Britain was waiting for the United States to fail:• Large states taking advantage of small

states:• Jealousy kept states from working

together:• U-N-I-T-E-D STATES was not united:

SOLUTION

Government officials realized after Shays’ Rebellion that a change was needed

A convention of representatives from each state were called to Philadelphia in 1787

STATEHOUSE IN PHILADELPHIASITE OF THE CONVENTION

INSIDE OF STATEHOUSE (TODAY)

SITE OF THE CONVENTION

There were 74 men asked to come to Philadelphia but only delegates arrived in Philadelphia

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

The average age of a delegate was 44 years old

JONATHAN DAYTON (New Jersey) was the youngest at age 26

BEN FRANKLIN (Pennsylvania) was the oldest at age 81

Most had some experience as politicians in their home states

40 of the delegates had been members of the Continental Congress

34 of the 55 were lawyers

Also included soldiers, planters, educators, ministers, physicians, financiers, and merchants

Most were very wealthy and many owned slaves

All the delegates were white men

None of the delegates were African-Americans, Hispanic, women, poor

GUIDELINES FOR THE CONVENTION

•Work of the Convention would remain a secret:

•White, highly educated, successful men with political experience would be sent:

•A majority vote was required on an issue:

•George Washington would preside over the Convention:

PROBLEMS AT THE CONVENTION

•Small States and Large State cannot agree on representation;

•Northern States and Southern States cannot agree on the issue of slavery;

•Federalist and Anti-Federalist cannot agree on the power of the National Government:

Bicameral Legislature (Two – houses)

Both houses will base representation on population with equal number of representatives in each house

Will have a president, legislature, and court system—Three Branches of Government!

Chief executive chosen by legislature and court system

Proposed by:Edmund Randolf

Unicameral Legislature (One – house)

Representation in legislature will be the same for all states

Congress could tax and regulate trade

Proposed by:William Patterson

Resolved Virginia and New Jersey Plans

Bicameral legislature (Two – houses) Representation in one house (the

House of Representatives) will be determined by population (representative elected by the people)

Representation in the other house (the Senate) will be the same for each state (two per state, elected by the state legislature)

Proposed by:Roger Sherman

Fixing problems with commerce and trade

Congress was allowed to regulate interstate and foreign trade.

Congress could tax imports, but not exports

Congress was forbidden to restrict the importation of slaves for 20 years, but could levy a tax, for every imported slave as much as $10.

Slaves were not considered free if they ran away to a free state, but rather had to be returned if caught.

Three-Fifths Compromise Counted every 5 slaves as 3 free persons for taxation and representation purposes in Congress.

How do will we elect our president? Elected by Congress?? Elected by the people??

Compromise: The Electoral College

What problems did the “framers” of the Constitution face AFTER the Constitutional Convention? Anti-Federalists disapproved

Federalists fought against Anti-Federalists