The failures of the Articles brought 55 delegates from twelve states (Rhode Island stayed away) to Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. George Washington presided; James Madison kept the fullest notes. They met to revise the Articles and instead wrote a new constitution (the story).
| Virginia Plan | New Jersey Plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Offered by | Edmund Randolph (drafted largely by Madison) | William Paterson, June 15 |
| Favored | large states | small states |
| Legislature | two houses, both by population | one house, one vote per state |
| National government | strong, with an executive and courts | the Articles, strengthened (taxing and trade powers) |
Why it works
Every compromise answered a fight about power. Large states said more people deserve more votes; small states feared being swallowed. Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut proposed giving each side one house, adopted July 16 by a single state's margin. Delegates from states with large enslaved populations wanted those people counted for seats in the House but not for taxes; Northern delegates argued the reverse. The result was a bargain that kept the Union together and wrote slavery into the Constitution without using the word. Historians still weigh what it bought and what it cost.
| Compromise | What it settled | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Great (Connecticut) Compromise | House by population; Senate with two per state; revenue bills start in the House | Article I, Sections 2, 3 and 7 |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | Three of every five enslaved people counted for House seats and direct taxes (ended by the Fourteenth Amendment, 1868) | Article I, Section 2 |
| Slave trade clause | Congress could not ban importing enslaved people before 1808 (it did so effective that year) | Article I, Section 9 |
| Electoral College | The President chosen by electors, neither by Congress nor directly by the people | Article II, Section 1 |
Key idea
The Convention's main bargains: the Great Compromise (House by population, Senate equal), the Three-Fifths Compromise, the slave trade clause (no ban before 1808) and the Electoral College. Thirty-nine delegates signed on September 17, 1787.
Worked example: Which plan?
A delegate says, "Delaware deserves the same voice as Virginia, just as under the Articles." Which plan does he support?
- Equal votes for every state is the small-state position.
- That is the New Jersey Plan.
Answer: The New Jersey Plan.
Worked example: Applying the Three-Fifths clause
Under the original clause, a state had 400,000 free people and 100,000 enslaved people. What population counted for its House seats?
- Count three of every five enslaved people: 100,000 × 3/5 = 60,000.
- Add the free population: 400,000 + 60,000 = 460,000.
Answer: 460,000.
Common mistake
Mixing up the Virginia and New Jersey Plans. Virginia was the most populous state, so its plan counted people: representation by population. New Jersey was small, so its plan counted states: one state, one vote. The Great Compromise used both: Virginia's rule for the House, New Jersey's for the Senate. See also Federalist No. 54, which presents the arguments over the three-fifths rule, and the ratification debate on slavery.