Cornell Notes on Constitutional Convention

Tonight:

Review notes and record connections, main ideas, quick review ques – summarize

Great Compromise

3 Branches

Slavery – 3/5 Compromise

Slave Trade

Electing a leader

Trade, Tariffs, Taxes

How should the states be represented in Congress?

(Large States v. Small States)

Proposal/Issues – What did each side want?

• Virginia Plan – James Madison

• Bicameral Legislature = 2 Houses with votes based on population

• More people = more votes = more say in govt.

• Who does it benefit?

• New Jersey Plan – William Peterson

• Unicameral Legislature = 1 House with one vote per state – not based on population

• Keep voice equal• Who does it benefit?

Compromise?

• com pro mise  ˈ–noun ‧ ‧

• A settlement of differences by mutual concessions; an agreement reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims, principles, etc., by reciprocal modification of demands.

• Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)

The Great Compromise

• AKA The Connecticut Compromise authored by Roger Sherman

Bicameral Congress (Legislative Branch)

A. Upper House – Senate – 2 per state

1. Benefits who?

B. Lower House – House of Reps – based on Population

1. Benefits who?

C. All legislation concerning Money must start in the House of Representatives and pass both houses.

Three Branches of Government Please…

• Based on Enlightenment thinker – Montesquieu• Legislative Branch = Congress = Senate and

House of Representatives = together they make laws (legislate)

• Executive Branch = President to execute and enforce laws passed by Congress

• Judicial Branch = Supreme Court to interpret the laws and decide if Constitutional

• Separation of Power = allows for Checks and Balances

How to count slaves as part of the population?

(North v. South)(Free v. Slave)

Proposals/Issues – What does each side want

• North wants slaves taxed as property but not counted in population?

• WHY?

• South wants slaves counted as population but not taxed as property?

• WHY?

3/5th Compromise!!!!

• Slaves will be counted as 3/5’s of a person for both taxation and representation

***What can we infer about the issue of slavery based on this compromise?

Should we continue slave trade and what do we do with runaway

slaves?(North v. South)

Proposals/Issues – What does each side want?

• North wants to end slave trade – these are people! If continues – then this is a Southern import and must be taxed!

• South wants to continue – it’s their “way of life” and slaves are chattel (property)

• Slave trade will end in 20 years – by the year 1808. Some believed it would die out as the country industrialized

• Until then, Congress can regulate the trade of slaves – place an import tax or tariff of $10.00 per person/slave

• Congress passes a Fugitive Slave Law – “No person held to service or labor in one state, under any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service as labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.” (The Americans, page 164)

How should we choose a leader?(Who’s smart enough to vote?)

Proposals/Issues – What are those in power afraid of?

• Americans are afraid of having another monarch (king) or dictator

• Events like Shay’s Rebellion point out that the masses are not qualified (intelligent enough) to participate. They tend to revolt when needs not met (mobocracy)

• Distrust of lower class (urban and rural poor) by upper class (urban and rural wealthy.

The Electoral College

• Voters do not choose president directly – vote the Popular Vote

• States choose delegates equal to number of senators and representatives they had in Congress

• This group of electors, chosen by the states, would cast ballots for the candidates based on the Popular Vote – Becomes the Electoral vote.

• Make the election official

Interstate trade and Intrastate trade

Who will control trade – The States or National Govt?

Which will be taxed – imports or exports?

(North v. South)

2 kinds of Trade?

• Interstate Trade – Trade between the states, trade that involves more than one state – AKA Interstate Commerce

• Intrastate Trade – Trade within the state, trade that exists between locals within a state, ex. Trade between Buffalo and Syracuse.

Proposals/Issues – What does each side want?

• The North (which is industrializing) wants the Federal Govt to control or regulate both foreign and domestic trade (benefits thems – how?)

• The South (which is agricultural) does not want to give the Federal Government the authority to control any trade (benefits them – how?

• To control trade means the ability to TAX it.

Commerce Compromise

• commerce  an interchange of goods or commodities, esp. on a large scale between different countries (foreign commerce) or between different parts of the same country (domestic commerce); trade; business.

• tariff  an official list or table showing the duties or customs imposed by a government on imports or exports.

• duty tax charged by a government, especially on imports.

•Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)

Commerce Compromise

• The Federal Government can tax IMPORTS (Tariff) which benefits the North – How?

• The Federal Government cannot tax EXPORTS which benefits the South - How?

• The Federal Government CAN regulate INTERstate trade but it CANNOT regulate INTRAstate trade. What’s the difference?

Back to Essential Questions:

• Who has the power and why?• Based on the evidence – where do you see

one “winning and losing at the same time? • What is the definition of good government?• Why was compromise critical to the

maintenance of a Balance of Power?• Please site evidence from matrix to support

your claims!