Summary
Highlights
The Constitution of 1787 was a compromise document, disappointing to many but necessary due to the diverse interests of the 13 states. This video will explore the major debates and how compromises were reached.
A key debate was between states with large populations (like Virginia, proposing proportional representation) and small states (like New Jersey, proposing equal representation for all states). The Virginia Plan suggested representation based on population, while the New Jersey Plan advocated for one representative per state, similar to the Articles of Confederation.
The solution was a bicameral legislature: the House of Representatives, with representation based on population and updated every 10 years by census, and the Senate, where every state receives equal representation regardless of size or population, ensuring both large and small states had a voice.
Another significant debate arose between Northern and Southern states, primarily concerning slavery. Southern states wanted enslaved people to count towards their population for congressional representation, while Northern states argued against this, as enslaved people were not citizens and could not vote.
The resolution to the slavery debate was the controversial Three-Fifths Compromise, where an enslaved person was counted as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes. This significantly increased the representation of Southern, slave states in the House of Representatives. Despite opposition to slavery by some delegates, this compromise was deemed necessary to prevent disunion.
After being drafted by the delegates, the Constitution needed to be ratified by the states. Unlike the Articles of Confederation, which required unanimous consent, the new Constitution would go into effect once nine states ratified it. This strategy aimed to prevent holdout states from derailing the entire process.
The ratification process sparked intense debates between Federalists (supporters of the Constitution) and Anti-Federalists (favoring more state independence). Some states, like New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, were initially holdouts. They eventually ratified the Constitution due to the increasing isolation and practical difficulties of being surrounded by a new, unified nation.
The Constitution's amendment process, though difficult, is more flexible than that of the Articles of Confederation. Amendments can be proposed by two-thirds of Congress or by a national convention and ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures. Crucially, the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments, was created in response to Anti-Federalist concerns and helped secure the ratification of the last holdout states, North Carolina and Rhode Island.