ipl-logo

Constitutional Convention Pros And Cons

692 Words3 Pages

10/23/14 Sarah LeBoeuf POLS 1113 Dr. George Black The Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Convention took place secretly in place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Some well-known delegates who attended include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. After much discussion, the 55 delegates decided to completely new articles rather than attempt to revise the Articles of Confederation. Governor Edmund Randolph proposed The Virginia Plan, also called the Large State Plan, at the convention. This proposal took into account many of James Madison’s opinions. Randolph proposed the use of a bicameral legislature, with the people electing the lower house, and the lower …show more content…

Pickney wanted a treaty among the 13 states. He also proposed having a bicameral legislature, with a Senate and a House of Delegates. The House would have one representative for every one thousand citizens. The House would elect Senators who would serve for four years and preside over one of four regions. Congress would meet to elect a President and appoint members of the cabinet. Congress would work as the court of appeal of last resort in disputes between states. Pinckney also proposed having a supreme Federal Judicial Court. William Paterson proposed the New Jersey Plan, also known as the Small State Plan. The existing Continental Congress would remain, but it would be given new powers, such as the power to charge taxes and force their collection. An executive branch would be elected by Congress. The executives would serve a single term and were subject to recall should the state governors demand. The executives would also appoint a judiciary that would serve for life. Paterson also proposed that any laws made by Congress would take precedence over state …show more content…

Sherman proposed having a two-house national legislature of the Virginia Plan, but proposed that the first house would be comprised of representatives according to the geographical number of citizens, but that in the second house (Senate) each state would get one vote. Sherman’s plan was critiqued and eventually accepted. In the final draft of the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin added the condition that revenue bills originate in the house, and that state delegates could vote as free agents. The Senate would give the government a federal character, not because senators were elected by state legislatures, but because each state was equally represented. The government would have three branches; a legislature, an executive, and a judiciary. The legislative branch would be composed of the House and Senate (Congress). The legislative branch would be responsible for making all laws, declaring war, regulating interstate and foreign commerce and controlling taxing and spending policies. The executive branch would be composed of the President, his or her advisors and various other departments. This branch would be responsible for enforcing the laws. The Judicial branch would contain the courts, including the nine justices who make up the highest court (the Supreme Court). According to the Constitution, "[t]he judicial Power of the United

Show More
Related

  • Pros And Cons Of The Northwest Ordinance Of 1787

    616 Words  | 3 Pages

    Constitutional Convention(1787)- Twelve states participated in the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia the summer of 1787. The first thing accomplished at the Convention was the election of George Washington as Convention president. The delegates agreed upon a structure for their government consisting of a Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branch. The next topic tackled was how would the states be represented with the smaller states on one side of the argument and the larger states on the other side. This argument led James Madison to propose the Virginia Plan.

    Read More

  • Provisions Of The Northwest Ordinance

    482 Words  | 2 Pages

    Virginia Plan, or the large state plan, proposed that each state would have a number of votes based on the population. The New Jersey Plan, or the small state plan, asked for an equal number of representatives regardless of the population of the state. Obviously, smaller states would benefit from the small state plan and vice versa for the larger states. The Great Compromise combined the two plans by creating a House of Representatives which drew representatives from each state based from the state's population and the Senate which consisted of two elected senators from each state, regardless of the population. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate took action in politics and both the small and large states were satisfied.

    Read More

  • The Constitutional Convention: The Three-Fifths Compromise

    1152 Words  | 5 Pages

    For this purpose, a special convention was held in Philadelphia for delegates to “overhaul” the Articles of Confederation and “render the constitution of the Federal government adequate to the exigencies of the union” (161). During what came to be known as the Constitutional Convention, many issues were debated and

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Virginians And The Confederation Government

    728 Words  | 3 Pages

    These men being known as the founding fathers The Virginia plan was to create a government consisted of what Edmond Randolph proposed that the national government be compiled of a supreme, legislative, executive and judiciary. It was also consisted of 2 houses. The lower house would represent states with the largest population. The members of the upper house would be elected by the lower house making the smaller states have little or no representation in the upper house at all.

    Read More

  • Constitutional Convention Dbq

    297 Words  | 2 Pages

    In May 25, 1787, a convention was called in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to express the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. However, the intention from many delegates was to draft a new constitution; create a new government rather than fix the existing one. Rhode Island was the only one of the 13 original states to refuse to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention. At the Convention, the first issues they had to address was the representation in Congress.

    Read More

  • Roger Sherman Dbq Analysis

    1680 Words  | 7 Pages

    There would still be a bicameral legislature in congress, but instead the upper house, the House of Representatives, be provided proportional representation with every thirty thousand peoples equaling up to one representative. This suggestion was adopted from the Virginia plan, which pleased the large states. In the lower house, the Senate, the compromise was two representatives per state, despite population. This equal representation reflected the New Jersey plan, which pleased the smaller states. The Great Compromise fulfilled some of the requests from both proposed plans and was accepted

    Read More

  • Confederation Vs The Great Compromise

    483 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was May, 1787, when representatives from all over the country came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George Washington was chosen to run these meetings, as they all believed he was trustworthy, he could have an unbiased opinion, and also that he could keep their secret. Their secret being the meetings and the discussions that took place here. They kept it unknown by the media and people so that they could say as they please without unwanted pressure. They created these meetings with the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, on account of much needed to be done.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Great Compromise

    298 Words  | 2 Pages

    The plan proposed by Virginia otherwise known as the “large-state plan.” Which proposed “a bicameral legislature, in which the lower house would be elected proportionately and the upper house would be selected from a list of nominees sent from the state legislatures on the basis of equal representation for the states. ”(add footnote) As the smaller states feared that this plan would lose a voice in the federal government if they continued with the Virginia plan, they opposed this plan and came up with one for themselves which would be known as the “small-state plan.” The small-state plan would propose “a unicameral Congress, with equal representation for each state, with all the powers of the Confederation Congress.

    Read More

  • George Washington's Contributions To The Articles Of Confederation

    868 Words  | 4 Pages

    to make the Articles of Confederation work. George Washington didn’t like this idea of revising the Articles at first, but the news of the rebellion made him change his mind. After he agreed to attend the convention, it took on greater significance. The meeting took place in Philadelphia in May 1787, with fifty-five delegates that had occupation such as planters, merchants, lawyers, physicians, generals, governors, and a college president. Taking Thomas Jefferson’s place from Virginia were Edmund Randolph and James Madison.

    Read More

  • What Is The Role Of The Constitutional Convention In 1787

    478 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this plan, it included a federal system and where the national government has three parts/branches. The delegates like the idea, but they argued that they should change one part of it. For instance, in the Virginia Plan, Madison had stated that the state's population should be equal to the number of each state's representatives in Congress. In this way, the small states would be able to vote less than the larger states. Some suggested the New Jersey Plan, where each state would only be

    Read More

  • The Three Compromises Made In The Constitutional Convention

    1593 Words  | 7 Pages

    Obviously, smaller states were not pleased with that plan. They thought that larger states could easily overrule them in congress. So William Paterson created a plan called the New Jersey Plan. It as well had the same three branches but, the plan provided legislators to have only one house. Each state would only one vote in the legislator, regardless of the population.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The Virginia Plan

    169 Words  | 1 Pages

    Virginia Plan was a proposal for a strong national government with a bicameral legislature and a President chosen by the national legislature. The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state and a President chosen by Congress. The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Plan, was a compromise between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans that established a bicameral legislature with representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate, and a President elected through an electoral college. The pros of the Virginia Plan included the creation of a strong national government and representation based on population.

    Read More

  • Three Branches Of The Federal Government Essay

    773 Words  | 4 Pages

    The United States federal government is comprised of three branches, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Within the judicial branch there is the federal court and the state court. The job of the court is to interpret the laws and hold the people accountable for the laws that were passed by the legislative branch. Additionally, the Judicial Branch settles legal disputes, determines punishment for breaking the law, and protects the individual rights of each state.

    Read More

  • William Paterson Pros And Cons

    725 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone who had any sense knew that the Articles of Confederation were weak and unsuccessful, and they knew that they had to fix it. So delegates from all of the states decided to meet in the Pennsylvania. However, Rhode Island did not send any delegates over to make suggestions for the Articles of Confederation. Over the course of a few months, the delegates worked on adding and strengthening the government that they spoke about in the Articles. At the end, thirty-nine of the fifty-five present delegates signed the Constitution.

    Read More

  • Virginia Plan Vs New Jersey Plan Essay

    537 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the creating of the US Constitution, the creators hit many roadblocks. It was difficult for the state delegates to decide on much, especially because they were biased and in favor of their own states. The New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan were two examples of the disagreement of representation within the states in the legislative branch. The New Jersey Plan was in favor of equal representation throughout the states. The Virginia Plan was in favor of population representation, meaning the larger states would have more representation than the smaller states.

    Read More

More about Constitutional Convention Pros And Cons

Open Document