Great Compromise

Failures of the Articles

• No power to tax = No Money
• No Army
• Shays Rebellion

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Constitutional Convention :

• Original goal of Constitutional Convention was to fix Articles of Confederation.

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Constitutional Convention

• Almost immediately delegates decide to create new government instead

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Issues that divided the nation’s leaders�

• The power of the federal government. Would the states or the federal government have the most power?
• Representation in Congress (How many members on Congress would each state get?
• Small states wanted equal representation,
• Large states wanted it to be determined by population of the states
• Slavery – How would slaves be counted? Would the slave trade continue?

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The Virginia Plan

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• Called for a new national government.
• Threw out the Articles of Confederation
• Three separate branches of government – a legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch
• Representation in the legislative branch based on population of state
• Large states like the plan, small states don’t.

New Jersey Plan

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• Legislature - has one house.
• Each state gets one vote.
• Small states like the plan, the large states hate it.
• There would have to be a compromise.

The Great Compromise

• Legislature would have two houses (parts):
• House of Representatives and a Senate
• House - based on the population of state
• Senate - Two senators per each state

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Ratification

• Ratification or to Ratify - The action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid.
• After the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, the fight for Ratification began.
• 9 out of 13 states had to ratify the Constitution before it would go into effect.
• However, the Founders knew that 9/13 alone would not work.
• It had to be unanimous.

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Federalists v. Anti-Federalists

• Debates, articles, letters, advertisements and more exploded across America as the states considered whether to vote for or against the new Constitution.
• Two factions (opposing groups) emerged:
• Federalists who supported the Constitution
• Anti-Federalists who opposed to the Constitution
• These two groups argued for their position in newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets

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Federalists:

• Supported the constitution
• Believed in a stronger federal government
• Believed a national government was needed to handle the nation’s economy, establish its monetary system, promote justice, and protect individual liberty
• Saw excess freedom as a threat to security
• Believed the Constitution was sufficient to protect individual rights

Anti-Federalists:

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• Supported a less powerful federal government
• Opposed the Constitution
• Favored the Articles of Confederation
• In favor of stronger state governments
• Believed a strong national government would destroy states’ rights.
• They thought the constitution resembled a monarchy
• Believed the Constitution was not sufficient to protect individual rights

Ratification

• In order to win support for the new Constitution
• Federalists, those who supported the Constitution, agreed to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
• This was made possible because the Constitution itself allows a process for it to be amended, or changed.
• The first ten amendments, or changes, to the Constitution describe the rights of the people. Today these are known as the Bill of Rights.

�The Electoral College

True or False?

The Presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected President.

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Answer: Not necessarily.

Historical Background

• The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to elect a president.
• Congressional selection
• Direct popular election

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• The Electoral College was a compromise.
• Combining features of both approaches
• Ensures the states have a role in selecting the president

United States Constitution

• The United States Constitution outlines how the President is to be elected.

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• The two main sections that deal with electing the President are:
1. Article I Section II: Census
2. Article II Section I: Electoral College

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When you vote for the President, you are actually voting for an ELECTOR to vote for you.

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Each state has a determined number of electors.

A state’s number of electors is the total number of that state’s Senators and Representatives in the House.

California

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2 senators

+ 53 representatives

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Total 55 electors

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North Carolina

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2 Senators

+ 13 Representatives

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Total 15 Electors

There are a total of 538 electoral votes

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The District of Columbia is not a state but is given 3 electoral votes.

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Who are the Electors?

• 48 out of the 50 states have a “winner takes all” method.

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• In order for a Presidential candidate to win all the electoral votes of a state, a candidate must win a majority of the popular vote!

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• 2 states are different and can divide up their votes based on congressional district - Nebraska and Maine.

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The Election Timeline

• In November of a Presidential election year, the general election is held and the popular vote is determined.

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• In December, electors gather in their respective state capitols to cast ballots for President and Vice President.

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• In January, Congress comes into session and they open the ballots received from each state. At this time, they announce the official outcome.

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A candidate must have 270 electoral votes to win the Presidential election.

If no single candidate gets the required 270 electoral votes then the U.S. House of Representatives votes to decide the President.

What if no one receives a majority?

• To win, a candidate needs a majority – 270 electoral votes If no candidate has a majority
• The House of Representatives selects the President from among the three presidential candidates with the most electoral votes
• If this happens, each state has one vote.
• Happened only once! 1824: Congress chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay
• The Senate selects the Vice President from the top two vice-presidential candidates.

It is possible to get more votes overall in the election from the entire country and NOT be elected President!

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Total Popular Vote in 2000 Election:

Bush 50,461,092 total votes

(47.9%)

271 Electoral Votes

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Gore 50,994,086 total votes

(48.4%)

266 Electoral Votes

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Nader 2,882,728 total votes

(2.7%)

0 Electoral College Votes

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• The system requires a distribution of popular support (not just sufficient support) and thus contributes to national unity enhancement/protection of minority interests
• Encourages a two-party system and thus national stability within the government;
• Maintains a federal system (gives the states a role)

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• Thus, smaller/less populous states, the two major parties, and minorities should favor the Electoral College system.

Criticisms of the �Electoral College

• The popular vote winner may lose the presidency.
• Electors may vote for persons other than their party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates.
• If no candidate receives a majority, Congress will pick the president and vice president.

Proposals for Reform

• Eliminate electors but still count electoral votes?

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• Choose the president by direct popular election?