Following the American victory against Britain in the American Revolution, the Americans found themselves in need of a new government that would not repeat the mistakes of their oppressors, and their answer could only be found in a compromise between two brilliant but conflicting ideas. Fifty-Five men all gathered to represent each of the states except Rhode Island, with one goal in mind; to make a new, functional government that would not oppress or burden the people of their nation in any way. Two main ideas were proposed, The Virginia plan and a plan created by William Paterson. These two plans conflicted in many ways and caused heated debates among the state representatives. The Virginia plan was suggested by James Madison. He proposed that America adopt a new “national” government, consisting of an Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches. It was a bold and vague statement that was very different from the already existing Confederation. The delegates, …show more content…
Perhaps the most important of the compromises that took place during the convention, the Great Compromise prompted the states to come up with the first government system used by America. Compromise had to happen in the convention for the delegates to make an agreement, Benjamin Franklin said the delegates would “become a reproach and by-word down to future ages”. Franklin plainly said that what the delegates accomplished in that room would be a precedent for future generations to follow. Their compromise had to be fair to all states, both large and small, so that each state would have equal representation. The compromise decided that the state’s lower house would be represented by the population of the state, and the upper house would consist of two members each. This proposal finally ended the dispute that was keeping the delegates locked in debate. The compromise was accepted on July 16,
The state representatives often failed to see the big picture, and think with the nation’s best interests first and foremost. Fortunately compromise was found and Roger Sherman brought together the Connecticut Compromise, which focused on settling the large and small state dispute. Only after three fifths and trade compromises could be agreed upon over the major arguments was the constitution made a viable option, and then
The Great Compromise is a faction of the Constitutional Convention .It is also known as the Connecticut Compromise and was developed to ensure that all states would be represented equally in congress. Larger states favored the Virginia Plan which allowed states with a bigger population to have more representatives. Smaller states that preferred New Jersey Plan argued that each state should have the same amount of representatives sent to congress. These two plans were created because the states couldn’t agree on what type of legislatures to have and two prevent one house from having more power than the other .These plans failed which in resulted in the birth of The Great Compromise.
The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan had many similarities and distinct differences. The New Jersey Plan wanted the Legislative Branch to consist of one house with equal representation from all states. It also stated that the Legislative Branch could collect taxes from the states. The Virginia Plan included details about a powerful Legislative Branch. There would be two houses with membership proportional to the state’s population.
The Great Compromise refers to the issue of representation of states in the United States Legislature. When the Constitution was being drafted, the issue of representation between big and small states was a major issue. The Virginia Plan laid out by Edmund Randolph stated that states should be represented based on their population, and the amount of revenue they contributed to the federal government. This plan favored larger states because under this plan larger states would have a lot more representation than smaller states. “The Virginia Plan was thought to be heavily biased in favor of the large states.”
The Virginia plan was the first proposal that was largely created by James Madison creating a strong system that had a two house legislature, a chief executive chosen by the legislature, and a court system. The lower house was largely elected by the people. The people in the lower house then elected the people in the upper house. The people that were elected were the ones who then chose the ones who chose the person in the upper house. He also came up with the checks and balances which were very important for Madison was more of a federalist than an anti-federalist.
This was their way of checking each other making them agree on any laws before passing them. This also gave the President the power to veto any acts of congress. This gave us the federal Structure of the government. The House of Representatives were elected by the people. On the 17th of September 1778 thirty nine delegates signed the Constitution though Ben Franklin said (“Thus I consent, Sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure it is not the best”)
all states were represented equally in the Senate. This made the smaller states happy. In the House of Representatives, representation was based on population. This pleased the bigger states. The Great Compromise settled the method of representation in the legislative branch.
From 1787-1790 the ratification of the American Constitution became fight between two different political methods of judgment. America 's best political personalities accumulated in Philadelphia to discuss shared opinion in a legislative structure. The Constitution itself did not say political groups, and it was expected that none was going to emerge. Be that as it may, this was soon demonstrated wrong when the level headed discussions between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists in 1787 and 1788 blend into a two gathering framework. This soon prompted a changeless component in American approaches.
EXTRA CREDIT: The Three Fifths Compromise was presented at the Constitutional Convention, which was a meeting of states whose delegates were formulating plans for the National government. There were many disputes over the proposals between the large (more populous) and small (less populous) states. One of the major disputes was over the issue of apportionment, which related to the method of distributing and allotting the seats in the House of Representatives based on population. Delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman proposed the Three Fifths Compromise that counted every five slaves as three individuals in terms of the apportionment of representation and
This plan did ignite the constitutional convention however, it threw out the Articles of Confederation and created a working government. This was the beginning of many other proposals and influenced the constitution we have today. The Virginia Plan also welcomed new states, they would be able to create new states and include them into the United States of America. This would also create a strong federal
After a fiercely fought revolution, the newly independent American nation struggled to establish a concrete government amidst an influx of opposing ideologies. Loosely tied together by the Articles of Confederation, the thirteen sovereign states were far from united. As growing schisms in American society became apparent, an array of esteemed, prominent American men united in 1787 to form the basis of the United States government: the Constitution. Among the most eminent members of this convention were Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. These men, held to an almost godly stature, defined the future of the nation; but were their intentions as honest as they seemed?
After the countless debates, the Great Compromise was what the convention would come into agreement with representation by population in the House of Representatives “The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative. ”(add footnote) The smaller states were pleased with equal representation in the Senate “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senates from each state and each Senator shall have one vote.”(add
After deciding to write a new constitution, the delegates could not decide what new form the government should take. One of the options was the Virginia Plan created by Edmund Randolph and James Madison. The plan included a strong government with three branches (the legislative branch, The judicial branch, and the executive branch). In the Virginia Plan, the legislator would consist of two houses and seats would be awarded on the basis of the population. Due to the fact that the seats are awarded based on population, larger states would have more representatives than smaller states.
Madison and Hamilton both knew that some form of federal government was needed, but Madison was not for one on this scale. The People still remembered what rule under Britain was like, and were hesitant to put themselves back into a situation where history could repeat itself. In the end, the two were able to come to an agreement. The South got to choose the capital’s location, therefore deciding the location of the heart and soul of the country. Both had logical views, but Hamilton was right to try and explain the importance of unity.
Following the Revolutionary War, America had just gained independance from Great Britain and needed to form a new government. The Articles of Confederation were established as an attempt to create a government that was unlike Britain’s. Unfortunately, the Articles of Confederation had several weaknesses. When in the process of repairing those weaknesses, the Federalists and the Anti-federalists formed. The Articles of Confederation were very weak as well as useless to America and because of this, the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists could not agree on a new type of government.