Logo: Project Citizen

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

Image

Lesson Purpose

What or whom should the national government represent—the states, the people, or both? This lesson examines that debate at the Philadelphia Convention. It also examines the so-called Great Compromise, which dealt with the makeup of the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition, it examines two issues that the Great Compromise did not resolve: how population would be counted for representation in the House and how new states might receive representation in Congress.

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.

Lesson Terms

Great Compromise
A plan accepted at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 that called for a Congress of two houses: in the upper house, or Senate, representation of the states would be equal, with each state having two senators; in the lower house, or House of Representatives, representation would be apportioned according to the population of each state, so that states with more people would have more representatives. Also called the Connecticut Compromise.
Three-Fifths Compromise

Lesson Biographies

Locke, John (1632-1704 CE)
John Locke, a physician and philosopher, worked with famous scientists, including Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke. In contrast to Hobbes, Locke used state of nature and social contract theory to justify limited government and the preservation of individual rights, particularly life, liberty, and property. Locke is sometimes called "America's philosopher" because his Second Treatise of Government (1690) was widely read by the colonists and important ideas found in it (as well as in works of English republican writers) are found in the Declaration of Independence, especially his theories of natural rights and his defense of violent revolution after "a long train of abuses" of power by rulers. Two verbatim phrases of Locke's are found in the Declaration.
Sherman, Roger (1721-1793 CE)
Mason, George (1725-1792 CE)
Wilson, James (1741-1798 CE)
Butler, Pierce (1744-1822 CE)
Gerry, Elbridge (1744-1814 CE)
Ellsworth, Oliver (1745-1807 CE)
Paterson, William (1745-1806 CE)
Madison, James (1751-1836 CE)
Hamilton, Alexander (1755-1804 CE)
King, Rufus (1755-1827 CE)

Lesson Primary Sources

The Virginia Plan (1787)

The Virginia Plan was presented by Virginia delegate Edmund Randolph to the Philadelphia Convention on May 29, 1787. It provided for a national government composed of three branches. It proposed a Congress of two houses, both of which would be based on proportional representation. The Virginia Plan favored a strong national government.at the Philadelphia Convention that provided for a national government composed of three branches. It proposed a Congress of two houses, both of which would be based on proportional representation. The Virginia Plan favored a strong national government.

Access the Material

New Jersey Plan (1787)
Hamilton Plan for a National Government
The Statistical Abstract of the United States
James Madison's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787
Luther Martin: Genuine Information No. 12 (1788)
The constitution of the Pennsylvania Society, for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and the Relief of Free Negroes, Unlawfully Held in Bondage
United States Constitution
About

CCE LogoThis site is brought to you by the Center for Civic Education. The Center's mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. The Center has reached more than 30 million students and their teachers since 1965. Learn more.

Center for Civic Education

5115 Douglas Fir Road, Suite J
Calabasas, CA 91302

  Phone: (818) 591-9321

  Email: web@civiced.org

  Media Inquiries: cce@civiced.org

  Website: www.civiced.org

© Center for Civic Education