3.8 The Constitutional Convention and Debates over Ratification

Convention Compromises

The 1787 Constitutional Convention revised the weak Articles of Confederation. The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) created a bicameral legislature: equal representation in the Senate, proportional in the House. The Three-Fifths Compromise counted enslaved people as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation, embedding slavery into the political system while avoiding the word itself.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Federalists (Hamilton, Madison, Jay) supported ratification, arguing in *The Federalist Papers* that a strong central government with checks and balances and separation of powers would prevent tyranny. Anti-Federalists feared a powerful national government would crush individual liberties and states' rights, demanding a Bill of Rights as a condition for support.

Ratification and Compromise

Ratification required 9 of 13 states. Key states like Virginia and New York ratified only after Federalists promised to add a Bill of Rights, which James Madison introduced in 1789 as the first ten amendments, protecting freedoms like speech, religion, and due process, and helping secure broad public support for the new government.

Key terms

Great Compromise

Created a bicameral legislature: equal representation in the Senate, proportional representation in the House.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counted enslaved people as 3/5 of a person for purposes of representation and taxation.

Federalists

Supported ratification of the Constitution; favored a strong central government with checks and balances (e.g., Hamilton, Madison, Jay).

Anti-Federalists

Opposed ratification, fearing a strong national government would threaten individual liberties and states' rights.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, added in 1791 to protect individual liberties and secure ratification support.

Try an AP-style question

The Great Compromise created…

1. a House by population and equal Senate
2. a king with limited power
3. a single-house legislature
4. a Senate chosen by population