Issue #1- Representation
While trying to form a legislative branch, the issue came up as to how representatives each state would be allowed to send to Congress. The larger states, such as Virginia wanted representation to be based on population while the smaller states like New Jersey wanted representation to be equal for each state. The compromise that was reached can be seen in the thinking map below.
The House of Representatives would be based on a state's population while each state would have two senators regardless of their population.
Issue #2- Slavery in the Constitution
Another issue that divided the delegates was slavery. Southern states wanted slaves counted in the population when determining representation in the House of Representatives. Northern states objected to having slaves count as a full person. They realized that if states such as Virginia, which had over 290,000 slaves, were allowed to fully count slaves, the Northern states would lose political power. Moreover, some Northern delegates argued that since slaves were considered to be property they should only be counted for tax purposes, not representation.
The “Grand Committee" reached a compromised that can be seen in the thinking map below:
The “Grand Committee" reached a compromised that can be seen in the thinking map below:
Issue #3- Protection of Individual Rights
When it came time to ratify, or approve the Constitution, Anti-Federalists criticized the document largely because it did not include a Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms. Anti-Federalists feared that a strong central government would oppress people, or take away, the freedoms that had been fought for during the Revolutionary War. They feared that a strong central government would eventually result in government that would look similar to England's. The Federalists were in favor of the Constitution just as it was. They felt that there was no need for a bill of rights because the Constitution already did a good job on its own of protecting individual freedoms. Both groups came to a compromise. Federalists promised that if the Anti-Federalists ratified (approved) the Constitution just as it was, they would include a Bill of Rights after the Constitution was ratified. The Constitution was finally approved in May 1790. The Bill of Rights was added in 1791.