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The sweltering summer of 1787 in Philadelphia saw the culmination of intense debate and compromise. What Was Decided By The Delegates At The End Of The Constitutional Convention was nothing short of a revolutionary reimagining of governance. The delegates, initially tasked with revising the Articles of Confederation, ultimately scrapped them entirely, opting instead for a brand new framework: the United States Constitution. This document, the bedrock of American law and society, established a more powerful federal government while attempting to safeguard individual liberties and balance the interests of states both large and small.
A New Framework of Government Emerges
The delegates grappled with fundamental questions about the nature of power and representation. The Virginia Plan, favoring larger states with representation based on population, clashed with the New Jersey Plan, which advocated for equal representation for all states regardless of size. The resulting compromise, known as the Great Compromise (or the Connecticut Compromise), created a bicameral legislature. This structure, with a Senate providing equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives based on population, remains a cornerstone of the American political system. This deal was crucial and the government would have fallen before it even began without it. Consider the significance:
- Senate: 2 senators per state
- House of Representatives: Based on population
Further complicating matters was the issue of slavery. Southern states demanded that enslaved people be counted towards their population for representation in the House, but they didn’t want them counted for the purpose of taxation. The infamous Three-Fifths Compromise resolved this impasse by counting each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for both representation and taxation. This morally reprehensible compromise, while allowing the Constitution to be ratified, sowed the seeds of future conflict and ultimately led to the Civil War. The following table summarized the 3/5 Compromise.
| Issue | Compromise |
|---|---|
| Representation | Enslaved people counted as 3/5 of a person |
| Taxation | Enslaved people counted as 3/5 of a person |
Beyond representation, the delegates also established a system of checks and balances, dividing power among three branches of government: the legislative (Congress), the executive (the President), and the judicial (the Supreme Court). Each branch was given specific powers and the ability to limit the power of the other two, preventing any one branch from becoming too dominant. This carefully crafted system was designed to prevent tyranny and ensure a balance of power within the government. They also agreed on a process for amending the Constitution, recognizing that the document might need to be adapted to meet the changing needs of the nation over time. This was important because it showed that the government could be updated, changed, and modified to serve the people better.
To better understand the decisions made at the Constitutional Convention, refer to official records of the convention, such as James Madison’s notes, which are primary source documents. These writings provide invaluable insight into the debates, compromises, and motivations of the Founding Fathers.