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1. The American Revolution ended in September 1783, with the signing of two peace treaties. 2. After the war was over, colonists were charged with the overwhelming task of building a new nation. 3. Until this point, the colonists were wary of a central government, after what they had just been through with the government of England. 4. The country was currently being run by a series of laws known as the Articles of Confederation. 5. Time was proving, however, that the Articles of Confederation were not enough. 6. At the time, there were thirteen American colonies which would each become a state. 7. It was determined that the new country needed to draft a Constitution. 8. Delegates from all states were called to Philadelphia in May of 1787, for a constitutional convention, where they would write the Constitution of the United States of America.
9. Unfortunately, it was not easy to write the Constitution. 10. Twelve of the thirteen states sent delegates. Rhode Island did not attend because they did not believe the Articles of Confederation needed to be changed. Many of the states differed in opinion as to the development of the Constitution. 11. One major debate was about how the government would be organized. 12. Two different plans gained popularity during the convention.

Slavery
13America on large ships where they were chained to the walls and to each other. 16. When they arrived, the. As early as 1619, colonists were purchasing people from other countries, mostly in Africa. 14. These people were brought to America for the purpose of being slaves. 15. They traveled from Africa to y were sold at auctions to colonists. 17. This practice was called the Slave Trade.18. Not all colonists believed in, or participated in, the Slave Trade. 19. Most colonists from Northern states believed the Slave Trade was inhumane and not acceptable. 20. Most colonists from Southern states thought of the Slave Trade as their way of life. 21. Without slaves, they thought that their economic wealth and success would suffer.
22. When the delegates met for the Constitutional Convention, the Slave Trade was a major issue. 23. Delegates from Southern states wanted to make sure the new Constitution did not abolish slavery itself or interfere in the Slave Trade. 24. Delegates from Northern states knew that they would not be able to get slavery abolished but they did want some limits on the Slave Trade. 25. Their compromise was to agree to not make any laws pertaining to slavery or the slave trade for the next twenty years. 26. After that, the issue could be revisited.
27. Another major issue relating to slavery that the writers of the Constitution faced was population. 28. Throughout the discussions of the Constitutional Convention, the issue of a government based on the population of the states was brought up. 29. Northern states, who were mostly free of slaves, believed that since a slave could not vote, they should not count as part of the population. 30. Southern states, however, believed that since slaves were a part of their daily lives and economic welfare, they should be counted as part of the population. 31. Roger

Sherman, a delegate from Connecticut, proposed a compromise that was eventually agreed upon by both the Northern and Southern states. 32. Each slave would count as 3/5 of a person

when population was counted to determine the number of representatives each state would receive in the government.

National and State Powers
33. During the American Revolution, colonists were fighting a country that was run by a strong and severe central government. 34. When it came time to build their own nation, many colonists feared this form of government, believing it would ultimately become corrupt or dishonest. 35. However, there were other colonists who believed that the United States could not run without a strong central government. 36. The debate over states’ rights and the federal government’s rights was one that lasted throughout the Constitutional Convention and is, in some cases, still being discussed today. 37. The writers of the Constitution dealt with this issue by adding the tenth amendment to the Constitution. 38. The tenth amendment states that all the powers not given to the federal government in the Constitution belonged to the states or to individual people.

Structure of Government

The Virginia Plan
39. The Virginia Plan was written by James Madison. 40. It was written to replace the Articles of Confederation instead of revising them. 41. It proposed three branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative) with a ‘checks and balances’ system to prevent abuses of power. 42. Madison believed that, although a stronger central government was necessary to defend against foreign invaders and to control the power of the states, it was also important to make sure that no one entity of government ever had too much power. 43. Edmund Randolph presented the plan to the Convention on May 29, 1787. 44. In the Virginia Plan, the judicial branch would have the power to strike down laws that were deemed unconstitutional, use armed forces to enforce the laws, and regulate interstate trade. 45. The legislative branch would have two different chambers. 46. One chamber would have elected officials serve for three years, while the other chamber would have elected officials serve for seven years. 47. Both chambers would use the population of the state to determine the amount of seats in each chamber. 48. Larger states, like Virginia, strongly supported this plan. 49. Smaller states, like New Jersey, did not support this plan and instead came up with their own plan.

The New Jersey Plan
50. The New Jersey Plan was presented by William Patterson to the convention on June 15, 1787. 51. It also proposed three branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative). 52. The difference, however, was in the legislative branch. 53. In this plan, the legislative branch would consist of only one chamber where every state was represented equally. 54. Also included in this plan, the legislative branch would choose officials to serve in

the executive branch. 55. The officials in the executive branch would select the justices of the Supreme Court, who are in the judicial branch. 56. This plan also stated that the national government could levy taxes and regulate trade. 57. Federal law would override state law.

The Great Compromise
58. The Great Compromise was presented to the convention by Roger Sherman, a delegate from Connecticut, on June 29, 1787. 59. This plan combined pieces of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. 60. It called for two chambers of the legislative branch, just as the Virginia Plan did. 61. However, the size of both chambers being decided by population, as the Virginia Plan called for, was not instituted. 62. The Great Compromise instead called for one chamber where its size was based on population, and one chamber that had a fixed number of representatives per state, regardless of population. 63. A census would be taken every ten years to determine the number of seats in the population-based chamber. 64. Two seats were given in the fixed chamber to every state. 65. This plan would also include the three branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative) that were called for in both the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan. 66. The Great Compromise was passed by one vote on July 16, 1787.
67. The Great Compromise is still in effect today. 68. Our government currently consists of three branches (executive, judicial, and legislative). 69. Our legislative branch consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. 70. The size of the House of Representatives is still based on population. 71. The Senate still gives two elected seats to each state.
The Bill of Rights
72. After the Constitution was written, some colonists, called Anti-Federalists, believed it was missing something. 73. They felt that the Constitution allowed future generations the opportunity to take advantage of its citizens. 74. They wanted to ensure that specific rights and freedoms were kept in the hands of individuals. 75. In order to accomplish this, they proposed a bill of rights to be added to the Constitution.
76. Federalists, however, did not see the need for such a document. 77. They believed that since the Constitution did not expressly take away the rights and freedoms of individuals, it was not necessary to have a bill of rights. 78. They believed the specific rights and freedoms of individuals were implied in the Constitution, and that an explicit list was not needed.
79. Eventually, the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution as the first ten amendments. 80. It gives individual citizens very specific rights and freedoms, such as the freedom of speech and the right to a speedy trial. 81. The rights and freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights are still extremely important to the American way of life
     
 
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