On May 14, 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention begin to assemble in Philadelphia to confront a daunting task:
the peaceful overthrow of the new American government
as defined by the Article of Confederation.
Why did they decide to write a new constitution?
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called to revise the ailing Articles of Confederation. However, the Convention soon abandoned the Articles, drafting a new Constitution with a
much stronger national government
. Nine states had to approve the Constitution before it could go into effect.
Why did the delegates decide to write a new constitution?
A convention of delegates from all the states except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in May of 1787. Known as the Constitutional Convention, at this meeting it was decided that
the best solution to the young country's problems was to set aside the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution
.
Why did the delegates compromise on so many issues to create the Constitution?
Many delegates believed that
the federal government should be able to overrule state laws
, but others feared that a strong federal government would oppress their citizens. The delegates compromised by allotting specific responsibilities to the federal government while delegating all other functions to the states.
Why did delegates disagree over the Constitution?
One of the major compromises in the Constitutional Convention was between the small states and big states. The
small states wanted each state to have the same number of representatives in Congress
. The big states wanted representation based on population. … This compromise has worked for more than 200 years.
Which state did not send delegates to the Constitution?
Rhode Island
was the only state not to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
Which states would have been happiest with the new Constitution?
The
smaller states
would have been happiest with the new constitution because they now have the same number number of senators as the big states.
What was one thing all the delegates had in common?
Despite their differences, the delegates did have one thing in common:
they were educated men
. They had studied history and great political philosophers such as Locke and Montesquieu.
How many delegates came to the meeting?
In all,
55 delegates
attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair.
What was the goal of the delegates?
Delegates from each of the Thirteen Colonies met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776 to decide the case for liberty. The goal was
to convince the States that the time had come for the United Colonies to declare their independence from Mother England.
What was the biggest obstacle the delegates faced when getting the Constitution approved?
What as the biggest obstacle the delegates faced when getting the Constitution approved? The biggest obstacle is
getting the Anti-Federalists
to agree with the ratification of the Constitution. The main thing that the Anti-Federalists wanted is a bill of rights, which wasn't given until much later.
How many states would have to approve the Constitution?
Article VII stipulated that
nine states
had to ratify the Constitution for it to go into effect. Beyond the legal requirements for ratification, the state conventions fulfilled other purposes.
What is the minimum age for someone to serve in the United States House of Representatives?
No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
What was the solution to the delegates hardest problem called?
“Great Compromise”
Saves the Convention
Finally, delegates made a “great compromise,” to create a bicameral (two-house) legislature with the states having equal representation in the upper house or senate and the people having proportional representation in the lower house, where all money bills were to originate.
What ideas did the delegates disagree on are these disagreements relevant in today's political climate?
How did the delegates disagree about representation in Congress? Delegates from
larger states wanted the number of representatives that a state would have in both houses of Congress to be based on that state's population
. States with more people would have more votes in Congress. Smaller states disagreed.
What compromise did the delegates eventually reach?
Three-fifths compromise
, compromise agreement between delegates from the Northern and the Southern states at the United States Constitutional Convention (1787) that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.
