PSCI G180 - Philadelphia Convention Essay PDF

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Philadelphia Convention Essay...

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Rachel Nguyen PSCI G180 Tuesday 6:35-9:40 Assignment #1 - Philadelphia Convention The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation on November 15, 1777. This document was an agreement among thirteen states, served as the United States’ first constitution and was ratified on March 1, 1781. However, the Articles of Confederation proved to be an extremely flawed government. Under the Articles, the states were more powerful than the central government. The federal government could not collect taxes, enforce laws, or regulate interstate trade. Therefore, the Articles of Confederation did not give the federal government enough authority to be effective. In 1787, the delegates from all states attended a meeting known as the Constitutional Convention. During the discussion, several plans were introduced, and it turned out to be three concepts of how a new government should be formed, the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Connecticut Compromise. The Virginia Plan, also known as the Large State Plan, was written by James Madison, but proposed at the Constitutional Convention by Virginia representative Edmund Randolph. The Virginia Plan consisted of three branches : legislative, executive, and judicial. The purpose of the plan was to protect the large states’ interest in the new government, which would be stronger federally than under the Articles of Confederation. The Virginia Plan would make a new form of government rather than amending the Articles of Confederation. The Plan proposed that both houses of the legislature would be determined proportionately. The lower house would be elected by the people, and the upper house would be elected by the lower house. Under the Virginia

Plan, the government would have three branches, and each would be able to check and balance the other branches to prevent the abuse of power. Madison and Edmund suggested  a bicameral legislature with membership based on each state's population. The House of Representatives would be elected by the people for 3-year terms, and the Senate would be elected by state legislatures for 7-year terms. The legislative branch could declare laws unconstitutional, collect taxes, and oversee the forces to help enforce laws. The more populated the state, the more representatives it would have in Congress. The New Jersey Plan, also known as the Small State Plan, was presented to the Constitutional Convention by William Paterson on June 15,1787. The plan was the counter proposal to the Virginia Plan. In addition, the New Jersey Plan offered the idea of a unicameral (one Congress) legislature in which all states would have an equal number of votes. The main aim of the plan was to have an equal representation of the states in Congress, regardless of population size. The New Jersey Plan also consisted of three branches : legislative, executive, and judicial. For the legislative power, it would come from the states that would each have one vote regardless the population, and it would be unicameral. On the other hand, the Virginia Plan called for the bicameral (two Congresses). For the executive branch, the Congress have the power to create an executive council that serve single 4-year term. The judicial branch was appointed by the executive branch, and would serve for life. The New Jersey Plan proposed that Congress has the power to collect taxes on products, stamps. The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, was proposed by two representatives from the state of Connecticut: Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth. The Connecticut Plan was meant to end the debate between the Virginia Plan, which favored large

states, and the New Jersey Plan, which favored small states. According to the Connecticut Compromise, the Upper House (Senate) would have equal representation and be elected by the lower house, the Lower House (House of Representatives) would be subject to proportional representation. In the end, even though there were conflicts, there was a solution for each. The Great Compromise resolved the conflict between the big states and the small states. These changes also solved the problem of a weak central government by establishing a strong one. Without these changes, our government would not be what it is today....