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In this lesson you will learn how the newly independent colonies developed a self-government model at the Constitutional Convention.

George Washington was elected President of the Constitutional Convention. The Federalists scored many initial victories.

Only five days into the meetings, a Federalist resolution was passed that changed the purpose of the Constitutional Convention. This resolution to write a new constitution was introduced by Edmund Randolph of Virginia.

Virginia was the first state to offer a plan of organization under a new constitution.

Key elements of the Virginia Plan:

1. Three branches - executive, judicial, legislative

2. Legislature - bicameral (two houses)

3. Both houses based on population

4. Lower house - elected by the people

5. Upper house - elected by lower house

6. Judicial and executive - both could veto laws

7. Congress could force a state to obey national law

A unicameral legislature is a one house legislature.

Smaller states found the Virginia Plan gave too much power to the large states, so they developed the New Jersey Plan.

Key elements of the New Jersey Plan:

1. Unicameral (one house) legislature - all states equal.

2. Federal government - slightly increased power

3. Plural executive - elected by Congress

4. Only one federal court

These two plans were argued and debated on the floor of the Convention. Again the stature and presence of George Washington impressed everyone.

Do you know which of these proposals is included in the Virginia Plan or is proposed in the New Jersey Plan?

1. One person president

2. One house legislature

3. One court

4. Three separate branches

5. Congress could enforce its laws

6. All states have equal representation

The Connecticut Compromise was offered as a plan that would break the stalemate between the big states and small states.

This combined elements of both plans and is sometimes referred to as the

This compromise proposed:

1. A two house legislature;

2. A lower house based on based on population;

3. An upper house with equal representation for each state;

4. That all bills to raise money would originate in the lower house.

Another major problem that faced the convention was the slavery question? Should slaves be included as part of a state's population?

The slave states in the south wanted slaves to be counted and free states in the north did not want them included in the population total.

Once again, a compromise rescued the situation.

The 3/5 compromise determined that a slave would be considered as 3/5 of a person in counting a state's population. This 3/5 compromise was developed for the purposes of representation in Congress and taxes.

Other compromises on trade were completed that made the Constitution acceptable for all of the states.

The south was afraid that the north with its larger population would interfere with its export trade and limit the slave trade. The north wanted commerce (trade or business) to be regulated by a simple majority vote.

The compromise on commerce and trade provided a majority vote for commercial acts. There was a prohibition of export taxes, and there would be no ban on the importation of slaves for 20 years. In addition, there would have to be a two-thirds vote for approval of treaties.

A philosophy may be defined as the most general beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group of people.

The Constitution that was created in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 certainly reflected all of the historical experiences of the American citizens as they created a new government.

How were these philosophical beliefs, attitudes, and concepts included in new federal form of government?

The central desire in creating a new governmental framework was to have a flexible government, one that was strong enough to meet the needs of the people but not strong enough to develop into a dictatorship.

To accomplish these goals, the Founding Fathers relied heavily upon their common experience and upon the ideas of Montesquieu and the separation of powers and the concept of a balanced government.

The result of the application of this political philosophy was a government that was neither strictly federal nor national, one in which power could be effectively used but could also be controlled through the system of checks and balances.

These checks and balances created a government that was both sovereign and limited.

The national government was to be a government of enumerated or delegated powers. All powers not delegated to the national government were reserved to the states. All branches of the government were to be separate, and yet each could check and balance the power of the other two branches.

The Constitution was flexible through the formal amendment process and the informal changes through interpretation and the future needs of the American people.

The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787 after 89 days of meetings. George Washington sent the Constitution to the Congress, and that body on September 28, ordered that it be sent to the states for ratification (or acceptance).

Each state developed their own process in its consideration of the Constitution.

The process that allowed the states to ratify the Constitution was one of the Federalists proposals. This proposal called for ratification of the Constitution by popularly elected conventions in each state rather than by the legislatures.

An important provision was that the new Constitution would go into effect if nine states ratified the plan.

Arguments against the plan were led by the very people who did not attend. The people who favored the new Constitution were led by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton.

The fight over the ratification of the Constitution was different in each state. The first state to ratify the Constitution with a unanimous vote was Delaware on December 7, 1787.

By June 21, 1788 the nine states listed below had accepted the new Constitution. The ratification process was delayed because two of the largest states, Virginia and New York, had not yet reached a decision.

Delaware - December 7, 1787

Pennsylvania - December 12, 1788

New Jersey - December 18, 1787

Georgia - December 31, 1787

Connecticut - January 9, 1788

Massachusetts - February 6, 1788

Maryland - April 26, 1788

South Carolina - May 23, 1788

New Hampshire - June 21, 1788

In Virginia, George Washington played a key role by convincing Thomas Jefferson to support the Constitution.

Without Washington, the group against the Constitution (James Monroe, Patrick Henry, and George Mason) would have had the added prestige of Jefferson among their group, and the Constitution might have failed.

In New York, the people for the Constitution were led by Alexander Hamilton. George Clinton was the leader of the opposition.

To convince the people to accept the Constitution, Hamilton, Madison, and John Jay wrote a series of essays to promote it. These 85 essays were known as "The Federalist" (or the "Federalist Papers") and are still considered among the best American political writings ever penned.

Virginia and New York finally ratified the Constitution.

Delaware - December 7, 1787

Pennsylvania - December 12, 1788

New Jersey - December 18, 1787

Georgia - December 31, 1787

Connecticut - January 9, 1788

Massachusetts - February 6, 1788

Maryland - April 26, 1788

South Carolina - May 23, 1788

New Hampshire - June 21, 1788

Virginia - June 25, 1788

New York - July 26, 1788

With New York and Virginia in the fold, the new Congress first met on March 4, 1789. Their first act was to count the electoral votes and announce the unanimous election of George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President.

On April 30, 1789 George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States.

North Carolina and

Rhode Island ratified the Constitution after the first meeting of Congress, which began on March 4, 1789.

Delaware - December 7, 1787

Pennsylvania - December 12, 1788

New Jersey - December 18, 1787

Georgia - December 31, 1787

Connecticut - January 9, 1788

Massachusetts - February 6, 1788

Maryland - April 26, 1788

South Carolina - May 23, 1788

New Hampshire - June 21, 1788

Virginia - June 25, 1788

New York - July 26, 1788

North Carolina - November 21, 1789

Rhode Island - May 29, 1790

Thus began the bold experiment of democracy, a government framed by the United States Constitution.

America was a sparsely settled nation with a population of approximately 5 million people, including over 700,000 slaves. Over 90% of the people were engaged in farming while only 3% of the population lived in the large cities.

In the modern world, the United States has a population of over 248 million people, with less than 3% of the workforce engaged in farming.

Today, over 54% of the people live in cities that have a population of over one million.

We will discover in later lessons how the events of history have brought changes to the Constitution as the United States has grown from the thirteen original states to a major world power.

This first meeting of Congress was held on Wall Street in New York City. Washington, D.C., would not become the Capital until 1800. In the next lesson we will examine the Constitution from a different point of view.