a tour of the compromises the made the document and it's ratification possible

1. The Constitution of the UnitedThe Constitution of the United
States of AmericaStates of America
Choices and decisions: How a people chose toChoices and decisions: How a people chose to
govern themselvesgovern themselves

2. 5 Compromises that saved the5 Compromises that saved the
nationnation1. The Great Compromise
• Combination of Virginia Plan and New
Jersey Plan [suggested by Connecticut]
• Created a bi-cameral legislature based
on equal representation per state [NJ]
and on state population [VA]
• Upper house: Senate – each state has 2
senators
• Lower house: House of Representatives
- # of seats based on state population,
but no less than one
2. The ⅗’s Compromise
• Every 5 slaves to count as 3 persons for
purposes of representation in the
House
• Satisfied South that it would not be

3. 3. No taxation of exportsNo taxation of exports
• Southern state’s economies heavilySouthern state’s economies heavily
dependent on exportsdependent on exports
• Northern states felt trade regulation wasNorthern states felt trade regulation was
neededneeded
• Interstate and import trade regulationInterstate and import trade regulation
and tax agreed uponand tax agreed upon
4. No action on Slave trade4. No action on Slave trade
• Part of trade compromisePart of trade compromise
• Slave trade off the table until 1808Slave trade off the table until 1808
5. Electoral College5. Electoral College
• How to choose the President?How to choose the President?
• Compromise between letting CongressCompromise between letting Congress
choose or the people choosechoose or the people choose
• Indirect method of state popular voteIndirect method of state popular vote
choosing state electors who votechoosing state electors who vote

4. The Struggle to RatifyThe Struggle to Ratify
• TheThe FederalistsFederalists were convinced thewere convinced the
Constitution was the right solutionConstitution was the right solution
• It created aIt created a federal systemfederal system in whichin which
power is shared between the nationalpower is shared between the national
[federal] government and state[federal] government and state
governmentsgovernments
• But the Federal government has theBut the Federal government has the
greatest powergreatest power
– Power to regulate tradePower to regulate trade
– Power to taxPower to tax
– Coin and control moneyCoin and control money
– Admit new statesAdmit new states
– Supremacy clause [Article VI]Supremacy clause [Article VI]
– etc.etc.
• Enforced unityEnforced unity

5. • TheThe Anti-FederalistsAnti-Federalists were fearful thatwere fearful that
such a government would overwhelmsuch a government would overwhelm
the states and individual rightsthe states and individual rights
• They favored keeping theThey favored keeping the confederateconfederate
systemsystem
• A big concern was the lack of aA big concern was the lack of a Bill ofBill of
RightsRights to limit government powerto limit government power
• The same concerns and argumentsThe same concerns and arguments
form the basic differences betweenform the basic differences between
thethe DemocraticDemocratic andand RepublicanRepublican partiesparties
today [big gov’t vs. small gov’t]today [big gov’t vs. small gov’t]
• The debate over ratification helpedThe debate over ratification helped
begin America’sbegin America’s two-party politicaltwo-party political
systemsystem which we still havewhich we still have

6. The Federalist PapersThe Federalist Papers
• 9 of 13 states needed to ratify [Article VII]
• But if just one of the major states doesn’t
it will divide the nation
• New York, Massachusetts and Virginia
hold out for a long while
• The Federalist Papers were submitted to
newspapers and pamphlets to persuade
state conventions to ratify
• 85 essays explaining why the Constitution
was needed and why the new
government would not be too powerful
• Still the best commentary on the
Constitution of the United States
• Federalists promise Mass. the first item
addressed by the new Congress would be
a Bill of Rights
• Ratification goes through
Alexander
Hamilton
James
Madison
John Jay

7. • But what is government itself, but the greatest of
all reflections on human nature? If men were
angels, no government would be necessary. If
angels were to govern men, neither external nor
internal controls on government would be
necessary. In framing a government which is to
be administered by men over men, the great
difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the
government to control the governed; and in the
next place oblige it to control itself. A
dependence on the people is, no doubt, the
primary control on the government; but
experience has taught mankind the necessity of
auxiliary precautions.
• Federalist No. 51 - Publius [James Madison]