The Constitutional Convention

-In May of 1787 delegates from 12 of the 13 states (all but RI) met in Philadelphia to try to fix the problems caused by the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation.

-The delegates of the convention unanimously chose George Washington to preside over all the meetings. They decided that each state would receive one vote on all questions that arose. They also decided that a simple majority vote was all that was needed for a proposal to pass.

-There were two major plans for government that were proposed during the convention:

*The Virginia Plan: James Madison, who eventually came to be known as the father of the constitution, wrote this plan. Madison’s plan was based on 3 main principles.

1. A strong national legislature with 2 chambers. The lower chamber would be elected by the people; each state’s representation would be proportional to the state’s population. The upper chamber would be chosen by the lower house.

2. A strong national executive who would be elected by the legislature.

3. A national judiciary to be appointed by the legislature.

*The New Jersey Plan: William Patterson wrote this plan. Patterson rejected Madison’s plan because he believed that the confederation should be preserved. He believed that a strong national legislature based on proportional representation would only benefit the larger states; states like New Jersey with small populations would lose the equal say in government that they enjoyed under the Articles of Confederation. The 4 main principles of the New Jersey Plan are as follows:

1. The major features of the Articles of Confederation would be left in place, most importantly the principle of a unicameral legislature with equal representation would be preserved.

2. Congress would be given the power to regulate trade and levy taxes.

3. A weak executive board would be elected by the legislature.

4. A national legislature with limited power would be appointed by the executive board.

-There were problems with both plans. The states with large populations rejected the New Jersey Plan, and the states with small populations rejected the Virginia Plan. Roger Sherman of Connecticut came up with a plan that pleased both the large states and the small states.

*The Connecticut Compromise: Also called the Great Compromise, this plan kept many of the principles of the Virginia Plan but with enough changes to satisfy the small states. The principles of the Connecticut Compromise are as follows:

1. A bicameral legislature that features a lower house with proportional representation, and an upper house with equal representation. All tax and money bills would, by law, originate in the lower house.

2. A strong national executive featuring a President.

3. A national judicial system.

*Three-Fifths Compromise: This compromise came about when faced with the question of how to count slaves for proportional representation and for tax purposes. Each slave would be counted as 3/5ths of a person for both.

Ratifying the Constitution

-After all the compromises had been made, and after all the delegates agreed on the final draft of the Constitution it had to be ratified, or formally approved of by each of the states, before it became law in each state. The convention delegates agreed that the Constitution would not go into effect until at least 9 of the states ratified it.

-The first state to ratify the constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787.

-Pennsylvania was second to ratify the Constitution on December 12, 1787.

-The 9th state to ratify the Constitution and officially put it into effect was New Hampshire on June 21, 1788.

-The last of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution was Rhode Island on May 29, 1790.

-The last state to ratify the Constitution was Hawaii on March 18, 1959.

-Although the Constitution officially went into effect when New Hampshire ratified it; it didn’t hold much weight because New York and Virginia were both among the four final states that had yet to ratify it.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
-The core group of supporters of ratification were mainly the framers of the Constitution, many of these men were delegates that attended the convention. This group came to be known as the Federalists because of their support of a strong, central, (federal) government. The Federalists were strong in the 9 states that had ratified the Constitution.

-The group that emerged in opposition to the Constitution was called the Anti-Federalists. This group believed that a strong central government had the potential to become dangerous and abusive in use of their power. The Anti-Federalists were strong in Virginia and New York, two states that were desperately needed to provide the young United States with legitimacy and strength.

-In order to convince the Anti-Federalists in New York and Virginia that the new government would not abuse its power over the people, the Federalists agreed to amend the Constitution by adding a list of basic rights guaranteed to the people. The Anti-Federalist approved of this idea and the Constitution was ratified in New York and Virginia. Less than a year and a half after all 13 states had ratified the Constitution, 10 Amendments were added to the Constitution that came to be known as The Bill of Rights.

-The new government decided to build a new capital city halfway between Massachusetts and Georgia to be called the District of Columbia. New York City was chosen as the temporary capital until the District of Columbia was finished being built.

-After the Constitution went into effect, a Congress was elected, and on March 4, 1789 Congress met for the first time.

George Washington was elected first President; John Adams was elected Vice President, both were sworn in on April 30,1789.