Constitutional
Convention and Great Compromise
It
was soon becoming apparent that the Articles
of Confederation were insufficient as a means
of governing the nation. Important legislators such
as Thomas
Jefferson and James
Madison quickly realized the importance of establishing
national laws to prevent the states from becoming
independent countries on their own. The new United
States was on the verge of collapse due to a lack
of monetary funds, and a series of rebellions. Shays's
Rebellion, in Massachusetts,
was an uprising of debtor farmers led by Daniel Shays
that resulted in a failed attempt to seize a federal
arsenal in Springfield.
The
Constitutional (Philadelphia) Convention was called
in 1786, and held at Independence Hall in 1787. 55
men from throughout the colonies convened for the
purpose of strengthening the Articles
of Confederation. George
Washington was chosen to preside over the convention.
From the start of the convention, controversy arose
concerning voting on legislation. Larger states such
as Pennsylvania
wanted their votes to count more than smaller states
because they represented larger populations. Smaller
states such as Rhode
Island and New
Jersey feared that their interests would be ignored.
On
May 29, 1787, Virginia
governor Edmund Randolph presented the Virginia
Plan, a compilation of proposals drafted by future
president James
Madison. Madison's proposed a three-tiered government
with a legislative branch consisting of two houses
(Senate and House of Representatives) that would make
laws, an executive branch to carry out the laws, and
a judicial branch to enforce the laws. Madison's proposal
also called for proportional representation in both
houses of the legislative branch. This meant that
states would be represented based on their populations
or the amount of tax payments paid. Furthermore, the
House of Representatives would be elected by the people,
and the Senate would be elected by the representatives.
To quell the rising tide of state sovereignty (independence),
The Virginia
Plan would authorize the national government to have
direct authority over American citizens, as well as
to negate any state laws that were not deemed in the
best interest of the United States.
While
the larger states seemed to support the Virginia
Plan, the smaller states began to voice their opposition.
William Paterson, from New
Jersey, warned that his state would never go along
with the plan, and Roger Sherman, from Connecticut
opposed the popular election (by the people) of representatives.
Others, such as Alexander
Hamilton, claimed that the Virginia
Plan was too democratic, and failed to protect the
government against the passage of popular, but ultimately,
harmful laws. Nevertheless, the Virginia
Plan was voted (7 states to 3) as the convention's
basis for deliberations. Thus, the Articles
of Confederation would be effectively replaced
rather than amended.
The
issue of equal versus proportional representation,
however, was the most contentious issue and threatened
to destroy the deliberations, and perhaps, the new
nation. The smaller states would not agree to any
plan in which the larger ones had more votes. On July
5, 1787, a special committee was formed to try to
come to a compromise regarding the issue of representation.
The Great Compromise, as it came to be known, formed
an alternative plan in which the House of Representatives
would include one state delegate for every 40,000
citizens of a particular state, and the Senate would
have the same number of delegates, regardless of population,
for each state. On July 16, five states voted for
the plan, and four (the larger states) voted against
it. It was a victory for the smaller states.
On
July 26, another committee was formed to begin drafting
what would become the U.S. Constitution. On August
17, 1787, the Constitution was signed. The Constitution
was first ratified by Delaware
of December 7, 1787, and then by Pennsylvania
on December 12. Although wealthy and powerful citizens
in many states were reluctant to lend support to the
Constitution because they would be relinquishing some
powers, influential officials such as
Benjamin Franklin and George
Washington voiced their support for the Constitution
which helped sway popular opinion. Alexander
Hamilton and James
Madison were among those who wrote The
Federalist - a series of political essays
written to promote ratification of the Constitution.
By 1790, all thirteen colonies ratified the constitution
and became states.
