The Annapolis Convention of 1786 created the call on congress for a national convention to revise the

Articles of Confederation. This convention convened in May 1787 with “55 men from 12 states”
(Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, & Armitage, 2009, p. 184). Rhode Island was the only state to refuse to
attend. This historical convention was marked by mixtures of opinions and attitudes however, and the
delegates were forced to compromise on many important points.

The first disagreement ended in what is known as the Great Compromise. James Madison and the other
delegates from Virginia had drafted the Virginia Plan and presented it to the other members of the
convention. In this plan is put the majority of the governing power in the hands of the federal
government and left the individual states with very little real power. It would have allowed for a national
legislature with its dual house seats being determined by individual states populations. This was the
main point of opposition from the smaller states delegates. They “feared being swallowed up by the
large ones” (Faragher et al., 2009, p. 185). Larger states allowed for a larger population which would
allow them a larger representation in the new government. After being locked in debate for nearly two
weeks, William Paterson of New Jersey introduced what became known as the New Jersey Plan. This
plan was much the same as the Virginia Plan, but it called for an equal representation of the states in a
single house congress. Thus the Great Compromise was drafted allowing for the House to be based off
of population and the Senate to give equal representation to each state.

A second part of the Great Compromise that was heavily debated involved the issues of slavery and
commerce. The southern states wanted their slaves counted in the population for determining their
state representatives, but excluded from the administration of taxes. The northern states wanted to
initiate a commerce clause giving the government jurisdiction over commerce between the states,
foreign nations, and the Indians. South Carolina and Georgia also sought federal protection for their
slave trade. Finally an accord was reached. For the purposes of representation, five slaves would be
counted equivalent to three free men. The commerce clause was agreed to, and a provision was added
to prevent federal restriction on slaves or “persons held to labor” (Faragher et al., 2009, p. 186).

The final disagreement surrounded the issue of presidency. Alexander Hamilton wanted the Chief
executive to be appointed for life. It was thought that that might lead to a monarchy however, and
being fresh from a war with Britain its support did not last. Still, there was support for a chief executive
with veto power over the legislature. It was decided that the president would not be appointed but
rather be elected. The electoral college was also created as insulation from the popular choice of an un-
informed population.
References:
Faragher, J., Buhle, M., Czitrom, D., & Armitage, S. (2009). Out of many: A History of the
American People (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.