Constitutional Convention

Question

Describe the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Why did delegates feel a need to change the government? What sorts of compromises were necessary for the convention to be successful? What changes in the United States government occured as a result of the convention?

Answer 1

The main reason that the Constitutional Convention of 1787 occurred was due Shay’s Rebellion. Long story short, many citizens rebelled against the government from taking taxes out on them. The delegates realized, through this, the Articles of Confederation, the law in effect at that time, made the government too weak to handle uprising, and decided they had to change the law to strengthen the government, leading to the Constitutional Convention. Compromises that arose from this included, the Great Compromise, which created Congress by combining two plans (The New Jersey Plan created the Senate and the Virginia Plan created the House of Representatives), and the Three-Fifths Compromise, which stated that slaves were three-fifths of a person. From this also spurred the creation of the Electoral College. One change that arose from this convention included the separation of powers between executive, legislative, and judicial along with the introduction of checks and balances, making sure each “branch” stays in line and not become too powerful.