In this Grade 8 lesson from California myWorld Interactive, students explore the Constitutional Convention of 1787, examining the key figures who shaped the debate, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington. Students compare and contrast the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, analyzing how disagreements over legislative representation led to compromise. The lesson builds understanding of how rival proposals for a new federal government ultimately replaced the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution.
Section 1
Setting the Stage for a New Constitution
In the summer of 1787, delegates from the states gathered in Philadelphia. To encourage honest debate and make it easier to find solutions, they agreed to keep their discussions secret from the public.
One delegate, James Madison, arrived with a detailed proposal called the Virginia Plan. His plan outlined a powerful new national government divided into three distinct branches.
Section 2
The Great Compromise: Balancing State Power
At the Constitutional Convention, a major argument broke out over how states should be represented in the new government. Large states supported the Virginia Plan, which based representation on population. Small states feared being overpowered and backed the New Jersey Plan, which gave every state an equal vote.
The debate grew so intense that the convention nearly failed. To save it, delegates agreed to the Great Compromise. This plan created a two-house Congress. The House of Representatives satisfied large states by basing representation on population. The Senate satisfied small states by giving every state two equal votes.
Section 3
The Three-Fifths Compromise: An Unsettling Agreement on Slavery
A major debate at the Convention was over how to count enslaved people. Southern states wanted to count them to gain more representatives and power in Congress. Northern states objected, arguing that if enslaved people were considered property, they shouldn't be counted for representation.
The delegates reached the Three-Fifths Compromise. This agreement counted every five enslaved individuals as three free persons for determining a state's population. This count was used for both setting taxes and deciding the number of representatives for each state.
Section 4
Delegates Compromise on Commerce and Slavery
Debates over slavery also involved the economy. Southern states feared the new government would tax their agricultural exports or immediately ban the importation of enslaved people. Northern states wanted the government to have the power to regulate all trade.
To secure the new Constitution, delegates reached another painful compromise. Congress received the power to regulate commerce, but it was forbidden from taxing exports. The agreement also prevented Congress from outlawing the slave trade for 20 years, until 1808.
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Section 1
Setting the Stage for a New Constitution
In the summer of 1787, delegates from the states gathered in Philadelphia. To encourage honest debate and make it easier to find solutions, they agreed to keep their discussions secret from the public.
One delegate, James Madison, arrived with a detailed proposal called the Virginia Plan. His plan outlined a powerful new national government divided into three distinct branches.
Section 2
The Great Compromise: Balancing State Power
At the Constitutional Convention, a major argument broke out over how states should be represented in the new government. Large states supported the Virginia Plan, which based representation on population. Small states feared being overpowered and backed the New Jersey Plan, which gave every state an equal vote.
The debate grew so intense that the convention nearly failed. To save it, delegates agreed to the Great Compromise. This plan created a two-house Congress. The House of Representatives satisfied large states by basing representation on population. The Senate satisfied small states by giving every state two equal votes.
Section 3
The Three-Fifths Compromise: An Unsettling Agreement on Slavery
A major debate at the Convention was over how to count enslaved people. Southern states wanted to count them to gain more representatives and power in Congress. Northern states objected, arguing that if enslaved people were considered property, they shouldn't be counted for representation.
The delegates reached the Three-Fifths Compromise. This agreement counted every five enslaved individuals as three free persons for determining a state's population. This count was used for both setting taxes and deciding the number of representatives for each state.
Section 4
Delegates Compromise on Commerce and Slavery
Debates over slavery also involved the economy. Southern states feared the new government would tax their agricultural exports or immediately ban the importation of enslaved people. Northern states wanted the government to have the power to regulate all trade.
To secure the new Constitution, delegates reached another painful compromise. Congress received the power to regulate commerce, but it was forbidden from taxing exports. The agreement also prevented Congress from outlawing the slave trade for 20 years, until 1808.
Book overview
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Continue this chapter