Discover What the Great Compromise Is and How it Changed the Course of American History

Learn about the Constitutional Convention and the Great Compromise. Understand the impact of the Constitutional Convention, and explore the Great Compromise's legacy. Updated: 12/18/2021

You are an opponent of slavery from the North and have been chosen to take part in the Constitutional Convention. Your friend and fellow-delegate from South Carolina insists that enslaved people, though legally considered property, should be counted as people for purposes of representation in the new government. Write a 2-3 paragraph speech to deliver to the Convention outlining what you believe to be the hypocrisy of the southern delegates. Keep in mind that you may fear the power of the slave-holding South, but also that if you push too hard southern delegates may leave the Convention which would place the union of states in danger. For example, you could address your feelings on slavery's morality, including how you feel about counting enslaved persons for representation. Hint: How will this affect the power of slave states in the new federal government?

Divide your class in two. Each side chooses one of the proposed plans for the new government (New Jersey or Virginia). With specific references to each plans' particular design, debate which plan would be the best fit for the country. If either side fails to persuade their opponents, develop a 'compromise' plan that may satisfy the concerns of each group.

Constitution Of The United States—a History

The Great Compromise combined elements of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. It decided on a bicameral, or two-house, legislative body with proportional representation (representation based on population) in one house and equal representation (representation based on state) in the other.

The Great Compromise determined that there would be two houses in the legislative branch, that there would be proportional representation in one house, and that there would be equal representation in the other house. The Great Compromise convinced both large and small states to ratify the Constitution. It also produced the electoral college and the three fifths compromise.

On the one hand, the larger states like Virginia and Pennsylvania wanted the legislative branch to have proportional representation, or representation based on population.

The Great Compromise Solved The Problem Between Big...

On the other hand, the smaller states like New Jersey and Maryland wanted the legislative branch to have equal representation, or representation based on state.

At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the Founders designed a new system of government. The previous federal government, called the Articles of Confederation, was too weak and had to be replaced with a government with stronger federal power over the states.

Many famous Founding Fathers were involved in the Constitutional Convention, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin who all contributed to the Constitution.

Constitution For Ipad

With the Declaration of Independence signed and the Revolutionary War won, American leaders hoped to successfully create the first national American government as imagined in the Articles of Confederation. However, some founders thought that the Articles were too weak, as they conferred too little power to the new, national American government. Alexander Hamilton urged Revolutionary leaders to reconvene and discuss the development of a stronger government. From May to September 1787, representatives from twelve of thirteen states (excluding Rhode Island), including George Washington of Virginia, Alexander Hamilton of New York, and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, met in Philadelphia to establish the Constitutional Convention and design a new form of government.

The Articles of Confederation were first drafted in 1777 during the Revolutionary War, but were not signed and made valid, or ratified, until 1781 when representatives of Maryland finally accepted the Articles.

After fighting for their freedom, Americans were hesitant to accept a national government that might hold too much power over them. The Articles of Confederation were therefore designed to keep a federal (nation-wide with power over the states) government from holding too much power. As a result, the Articles were weak. The government had no taxing power, authority to resolve interstate disagreements, or methods for army drafts. The Articles of Confederation were little more than a loose agreement between many smaller, sovereign states.

What Was The Great Compromise? The Agreement And Its Impact

One of the key debates of the Constitutional Convention was whether the delegates should strengthen the Articles to give the federal government greater power or start from scratch and design an entirely new system of government. Delegates including Edmund Randolph and Charles Pinckney of South Carolina argued that the Articles were too weak and that they should be redrafted. Delegates from New Jersey disagreed, arguing that the Articles only needed some adjustments.

It's 1787. The Articles of Confederation have proven to be too weak to create a workable government. At the Philadelphia State House, now called Independence Hall, the same place where the Declaration of Independence had been signed 11 years before, for four months 55 delegates from 12 of the 13 states met to frame a Constitution for a federal republic that would last to today and beyond.

Even before Shays' Rebellion, people had been talking about the need to strengthen the American government. When meeting at Mount Vernon - George Washington's home - he, James Madison, and others came up with the idea of convening a meeting of delegates from the states to amend the Articles of Confederation. This meeting happened in Annapolis, Maryland, but only five states sent delegates. It was at this meeting that Alexander Hamilton's recommendation to convene another reform meeting in Philadelphia in the spring of 1787 was forwarded to the Continental Congress.

The Great Compromise Worksheet

The states decided who they would send to the Constitutional Convention as delegates. Several prominent figures did not attend. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry were among those who were not in attendance. Henry, who once said, 'Give me liberty or give me death, ' now said, 'I smell a rat.'

Of those who did attend, George Washington, who was noted for his patience and fairness, was selected as the presiding officer. 55 delegates attended. Today, they are usually regarded as great sages, but the delegates were mostly lawyers, merchants, and planters who were there to represent their personal and/or regional interests. It is amazing how the group on several occasions was able to look past those personal interests and make amazing compromises.

The original purpose of the meeting - to amend the Articles of Confederation - was almost instantly scrapped, and the decision to start from scratch on a new document was made. This decision proved to Patrick Henry all of his fears, and he fought tooth and nail against the ratification of the Constitution because the delegates had overstepped their purpose.

Which Of These Was A Result Of The Great Compromise

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Small states like New Jersey (represented by delegates William Paterson and David Brearly) argued for equal representation, the principle that all states would receive the same number of representatives, no matter its size. They claimed that any other system would result in the large states bullying the small states and the majority would crush the minority.

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Large states like Virginia and Pennsylvania (represented by James Wilson and James Madison) argued that proportional representation, or representation according to population, was most fair, since equal representation would give smaller states a disproportionate amount of power, and the minority would rule the majority.

The most important outcome of the Constitutional Convention was a federal, bicameral legislature, which consisted of two houses working together to draft laws.

The Convention knew that some states would be deeply hesitant to ratify this new form of government. While the Constitution was in the ratification process, Hamilton, Madison, and John Jay wrote eighty-five essays titled, The Federalist Papers, which encouraged New York to ratify the Constitution. These papers are still influential in historians' understanding of the Founders' original legal intent in the Constitution's design.

The Great Compromises By Annabelle S

Since several states already felt reluctant to ratify a new form of government, the Founders decided that ratification would require only some states to agree. Because the Articles of Confederation already bound the states together into one country, the Constitution would become the supreme law of the land as soon as at least nine states ratified it. Ultimately, all thirteen states ratified the constitution.

The Founders determined that the executive branch would execute the laws, or make sure that they were carried out. This function was carefully separated from the federal government's legislative, or law-writing branch, to avoid corruption.

Disagreements included how many people should make up the executive branch, how long the term should be, and whether reelection should be permitted. They ultimately agreed that one person (the president) would serve four years and have an opportunity for reelection.

The Three Fifths Compromise Date & Summary

Another compromise answered the question of who should elect the president. Some delegates wanted the general public to elect the president, but others believed that choosing the president was too great a responsibility for an uneducated population. They comprised and created the electoral college.

The Articles of Confederation, or the first federal government of the United States, was