Unit 3: Topic 8 - The Constitutional Convention and Debates over Ratification Flashcards
What was the Annapolis Convention?
The Annapolis Convention was held in 1786. Twelve delegates from five states met to discuss barriers to trade and commerce that existed due to the Articles of Confederation. The Convention concluded with a call for an additional convention to be held in Philadelphia to discuss revising the Articles.
The Constitutional Convention was called in response to the Annapolis Convention. What was the Constitutional Convention’s initial purpose?
The Constitutional Convention’s initial purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation.
12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island abstained) attended the Constitutional Convention.
A group of strong nationalists, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, convinced the Convention to draft an entirely new governing document.
What was the Virginia Plan?
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison, called for a strong national government with three branches. Each state would send legislators to each branch based upon the size of their population.
States with larger populations suported this plan (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia)
Describe the New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature where each state, regardless of population, had the same number of legislators.
States with smaller populations supported this plan (New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, and Maryland)
How did the Constitutional Convention resolve the differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan?
The Convention adopted the Connecticut Compromise, otherwise known as the Great Compromise.
The Connecticut Compromise established a bicameral (2-part) legislature in which the number of legislators in the House of Representatives was determined by population, while each state had an equal number of legislators in the Senate.
Describe the Three-Fifths Compromise and explain why the South wanted this compromise in the Constitution.
The Three-Fifths Compromise stated that for representation in the House of Representatives, each enslaved person counted as 3/5 of a person.
Southern states wanted this to increase their representation in the House of Representatives. This “compromise” was to satisfy wealthy southern planters who wanted to have greater political power to ensure their future wealth and continuation of slavery.
As a “compromise”, when did the South agree to end the importation of slaves?
The South agreed to end the importation of enslaved peoples by 1808 as a result of a compromise at the constitutional convention.
This outlawed the international slave trade in the United States in 1808, although the slave trade continued domestically.
Explain what the Fugitive Slave Clause was.
The Fugitive Slave Clause was a clause that was added to the US Constitution that said that enslaved people who ran away into another state could not be free. They were still enslaved, and they had to be delivered (when found) back to their rightful owner.
Lawmakers in the North, who agreed to add the Fugitive Slave Clause to the constitution, refused to enforce that clause since they viewed it as legalized kidnapping, much to the displeasure of lawmakers from the South.
What’s the difference between a Federalist and an Anti-Federalist?
The Federalists thought that a strong central government was essential to the survival of the United States.
On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists believed that a strong federal government would infringe upon rights of the states and the people.
As a result, Federalists argued for the ratification of the Constitution and the Anti-Federalists argued against the ratification of the Constitution.
What were The Federalist Papers?
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 essays advocating for the adoption of the Constitution written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.
To induce the state constitutional committees to ratify the Constitution, the Federalists guaranteed that they would pass what legislation?
The Federalists promised the passage of a Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights, suggested by many people such as Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, established limits to the power of the federal government and guaranteed the people certain rights. By 1790, all 13 states had ratified the Constitution.
