Day 3 Notes: The Constitution
Monday, January 30, 2023
8:09 PM
The Constitutional Convention and the Great Compromise
Edmund Randolph offered a resolution that proposed the "Virginia Plan"
The Virginia Plan called for a system of representation based on:
● State population or proportion of each state's revenue contributed to
the National Government or both
● Congress would set up a bicameral legislature or a legislative body
composed of two chambers
Opponents claim that the plan was biased in favor of the large states
● Under the New Jersey Plan, each state was to have equal
representation and a unicameral legislature or a legislative body with
one chamber
The Second Founding: The Great Compromise
The Connecticut (or Great) Compromise bridged the Virginia Plan and the
New Jersey Plan
The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature:
● The House: Representatives by the population in the state
● The Senate: equal representation of all states, regardless of
population
The Constitutional Convention and Slavery
As the process of drafting a new Constitution began, the Founders faces a
nation divided over slavery
● From an economic perspective, southerners wanted to protect
slavery, and many northerners benefitted from investments in the
institution
● From a moral perspective, the issue was more complicated
There was a widespread acknowledgement that slavery was incompatible
with democratic principles
● Embarrassment about protecting the institution of slavery led to the
omission of the words "slavery" and "slavery" from the Constitution
Monday, January 30, 2023
8:09 PM
The Constitutional Convention and the Great Compromise
Edmund Randolph offered a resolution that proposed the "Virginia Plan"
The Virginia Plan called for a system of representation based on:
● State population or proportion of each state's revenue contributed to
the National Government or both
● Congress would set up a bicameral legislature or a legislative body
composed of two chambers
Opponents claim that the plan was biased in favor of the large states
● Under the New Jersey Plan, each state was to have equal
representation and a unicameral legislature or a legislative body with
one chamber
The Second Founding: The Great Compromise
The Connecticut (or Great) Compromise bridged the Virginia Plan and the
New Jersey Plan
The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature:
● The House: Representatives by the population in the state
● The Senate: equal representation of all states, regardless of
population
The Constitutional Convention and Slavery
As the process of drafting a new Constitution began, the Founders faces a
nation divided over slavery
● From an economic perspective, southerners wanted to protect
slavery, and many northerners benefitted from investments in the
institution
● From a moral perspective, the issue was more complicated
There was a widespread acknowledgement that slavery was incompatible
with democratic principles
● Embarrassment about protecting the institution of slavery led to the
omission of the words "slavery" and "slavery" from the Constitution
