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Issues with the Articles
Issues with the Articles
In 1787, representatives from every state except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia to revise or fix the Articles of Confederation. We call this meeting the Constitutional Convention because they ended up doing more than just fixing the articles—they wrote the Constitution and a new National government. But agreeing on a new way to structure the government wasn’t easy.
Some states floated a new idea:
Why not create a government with three branches?
The new government could have a legislative branch with a congress to make laws, an executive branch led by a president to carry out laws, and a judicial branch with courts to interpret laws. It sounded good, but there was one major problem: How many votes would each state get in the Congress?
Voting in Congress: Yes, Please!
Voting in Congress: Yes, Please!
Why?
Because some states have a large population and some have a small population.
Under the Articles of Confederation, each state got one vote no matter how many people it had. That meant people in large states had less influence in Congress. Naturally, large states thought this wasn’t fair. They thought they should get more votes because they had more people. Small states, however, thought it was a pretty good deal.
Even though they were small, they had the same amount of power and influence as large states. They wanted to keep a one-vote-per-state system.
Virginia Plan
Virginia Plan
Legislative branch has 1 chamber
Number of votes for each state depends on the state’s population
Wanted 3 branches with two houses in Congress
Liked by highly populated, larger populated, states such as Virginia and Pennsylvania
New Jersey Plan
New Jersey Plan
Legislative branch has one chamber
Each state gets equal votes
Wanted 3 branches with only one house in Congres
Favored by states with smaller population
How should the states be represented in Congress?
How should the states be represented in Congress?
The two sides—large states and small states—finally reached a compromise called the Great Compromise. The Constitution was the second and final attempt to write a document that would govern the United States, and we still follow it today. Under the Constitution, Congress is divided in to two chambers (bicameral): the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the Senate, each state gets equal votes; two votes no matter what size it is. This favors small states. In the House of Representatives, votes would be based on state population; the more people a state has, the more votes it gets. This favors large states. The Constitution also solved some other problems found in the Articles of Confederation.
The Articles didn’t require states to treat citizens from other states the same as their own citizens, but the Constitution does.
The Articles couldn’t be changed unless all states agreed, but the Constitution can be changed if 3/4 of the states agree.
The Articles didn’t require states to follow the laws Congress passed, but the Constitution says federal laws are superior to state laws.
How should slaves be counted?
How should slaves be counted?
Northerners POV
Slaves should be counted as property for taxing purposes but not towards representation
Southerners
Slaves should be counted towards representation but not taxation.
Three-Fifths Compromise
Three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.
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