Project 1

Project 1. By: Alexis S., Alexys R., Eduardo V., and Joseph J..

[Audio] The Constitutional Convention took place on May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The convention intended to revise the problems with the Articles of Confederation in which James Madison created the Virginia Plan and Alexander Hamilton created the New Jersey Plan. Roger Sherman then merged those two plans to make the US Constitution. With the making of the Constitution, 25 out of 55 delegates owned African slaves and wanted them to count towards their population. The Three-Fifths Compromise let three-fifths of the slave population count towards population for representation purposes. On August 6, 1787, the first draft of the Constitution was finished. After some changes, the final draft of the Constitution was signed and became the new government for the United States..

[Audio] The Virginia Plan, presented by Edmund Randolph at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, consisted of three branches of government, the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and also contained checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. This plan divided the legislature into two equal bodies, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state's representation in Congress relied on its population. This plan went through revisions before it had been established. The proposal describes two houses, one with members elected by the people who serve three-year terms and the other composed of older leaders elected by state legislatures who serve seven-year terms. Both houses would use population as a foundation for dividing seats between the states..

[Audio] The New Jersey Plan, presented by William Paterson, proposed an alternative to the Virginia Plan on June 15, 1787. The plan was designed to protect the security and power of the small states by limiting the vote of each state to one in Congress under the Articles of Confederation. The New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral legislature with each state under equal representation. It maintained the form of government under the Articles of Confederation and added powers to raise revenue and regulate commerce and foreign affairs..

[Audio] Alexander Hamilton presented the Hamilton Plan at the Constitutional Convention. The Constitutional Convention rejected the plan for being too similar to the British government. The Hamilton plan sought to create a government with three branches, the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. The Legislative branch had the Assembly and Senate. For the Assembly, members would serve for three years after winning the vote by the people. With the Senate, each district would have one representative that could reject or approve appointments of most officers of departments, whether to declare war and what to do with treaties. The Judicial branch would be made up of judges with permanent salaries to promote good behavior. This branch would be a court for the government or citizens of foreign nations. The Executive branch would have been able to give direction in a war, advise on treaties or laws, and appoint the heads of departments such as finance, war, and foreign affairs..

[Audio] The U.S Constitution emerged from the debate about the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. When the Articles of Confederation proved to be an ineffective form of government, delegates from 12 of the 13 states met in Philadelphia. The delegates had to reach several compromises to pass the U.S Constitution. The three significant compromises made were the Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Electoral College. The Great Compromise put into order representation in the federal government by creating the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Three-Fifths Compromise counted three-fifths of enslaved Africans as part of the population. The Electoral College settled how the president would get elected..

[Audio] The Articles of Confederation was a plan for national government proposed by the Continental Congress in 1777 and ratified in March 1781. The Articles of Confederation gave the national government limited authority, reflecting widespread fear of centralized authority. Advancements. One of the most crucial improvements from the Articles of Confederation were the creation of the Senate and House of Representatives, the plan for separation of powers, and checks and balances. The Constitution created a bicameral legislature. The improvements gave the federal government more power over money and taxes. The power of the Articles resided in the states but as it improved, the Constitution was declared the law of the land which remarkably increased the power of the federal government. Fallbacks. Created a loose alliance of the states. Slaves were treated like property and taxed. Contained a misuse of power, meaning states could create any law that hey desired. There was an absence to enforce law. Within this government, there was no executive power to impose rules. The Articles of Confederation was flawed as it couldn't provide all that was being offered. This occurred because it was weak from the beginning..

Reference Page. Acharya, Abhay, and Filip Poutintsev. “8 Major Pros and Cons of Articles of Confederations.” Honest Pros and Cons, March 17, 2021. https://honestproscons.com/pros-and-cons-of-articles-of-confederations/#Cons_of_Articles_of_Confederation. Boundless. “The Constitutional Convention.” Lumen. Accessed March 1, 2022. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-politicalscience/chapter/the-constitutional-convention/. Grassia, Juliana. “The Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution.” Menokin. Menokin, February 22, 2022. https://www.menokin.org/digital-content/constitution#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20significant,concentrated%20in%20one%20particular%20branch. Hewitt, Nancy A., and Steven F. Lawson. “Glossary of Key Terms.” Essay. In Exploring American Histories: A Survey , Seconded., G-2. Bedford/St. Martin's, Macmillan Learning, 2017. Madison, James, Benjamin Franklin, William Paterson, George Washington, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. “Creating the United States Convention and Ratification.” Library of Congress, April 12, 2008. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/convention-and-ratification.html#obj20. “Ratification of the US Constitution (Article).” Khan Academy. Khan Academy, 2019. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-ratification-of-the-us-constitution/a/ratification-of-the-us-constitution-lesson-overview#:~:text=The%20three%20major%20compromises%20were,representation%20in%20the%20federal%20government.&text=The%20Electoral%20College%20system%20has%20also%20led%20to%20controversy. “Variant Texts of the Plan Presented by Alexander Hamilton to the Federal Convention.” Avalon Project - variant texts of the plan presented by Alexander Hamilton to the Federal Convention - text. A. Accessed March 1, 2022. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/hamtexta.asp. “Virginia Plan (1787).” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed March 1, 2022. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/virginia-plan. “The Virginia Plan.” U.S. Senate: The Virginia Plan, June 3, 2019. https://www.senate.gov/civics/common/generic/Virginia_Plan_item.htm..