The CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION and Debates Over RATIFICATION [APUSH Review Unit 3 Topic 8] Period 3

The video introduces the Constitutional Convention, which was convened to address the failures of the Articles of Confederation. Initially, the goal was to revise the Articles, but influential figures like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton pushed for a new Constitution that would grant more power to the federal government.

A major debate during the convention focused on representation in the new federal government. The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature with representation based on population, favoring larger states. The New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for all states, benefiting smaller states.

To resolve the dispute over representation, the Great Compromise was proposed. This created a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate providing equal representation with two votes per state.

Another contentious issue was the representation of enslaved people. Southern states wanted them counted for representation, while northern states opposed it. The Three-Fifths Compromise dictated that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted for representation. Additionally, a ban on slavery was postponed until 1808 to appease Southern delegates.

The convention also determined how national representatives would be elected: House members directly by the people for two-year terms, Senators by state legislatures for six-year terms, and the President through the Electoral College, elected by state-chosen electors rather than directly by popular vote.

For the Constitution to be adopted, nine out of thirteen states needed to ratify it. Two opposing groups emerged: Federalists, who supported the new Constitution, and Anti-Federalists, who opposed it, fearing a too-powerful central government and the lack of a Bill of Rights.

The Federalists ultimately won the ratification debate, largely due to their organization and their concession to add a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties and state powers. By mid-1788, enough states had ratified the Constitution, making it the governing document of the United States.