Lesson 10: Why Was Representation a Major Issue at the Philadelphia Convention?

Lesson Objectives

When you have finished this lesson, you should  be able to

• explain the differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan and the importance of the Great Compromise,
• explain how the Framers addressed regional issues with the Three-Fifths Compromise and the provision for a periodic census of the population, and
• evaluate, take, and defend positions on why major issues debated at the Philadelphia Convention are still on the national agenda.