What did the delegates want to change about the Constitution?

At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches—executive, legislative and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power.

Why did they change the Constitution?

The possibility of amending the Constitution helped ensure its ratification, although many feared the powerful federal government it created would deprive them of their rights. To allay their anxieties, the framers promised that a Bill of Rights safeguarding individual liberties would be added following ratification.

Why did delegates to the Constitutional Convention create a new Constitution rather than revise the Articles of Confederation?

Why did the delegates draft a new plan instead of revising the Articles of Confederation? Some delegates thought that a revision would not make the national government strong enough. The delegates had to compromise to come up with a plan with which most would agree.

Why did the delegates change the original purpose of the convention?

Although the original purpose of the convention was to amend the Articles of Confederation, some—though not all—delegates moved quickly to create a new framework for a more powerful national government.

Why did they scrap the Articles of Confederation instead of revising them?

The weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress was not strong enough to enforce laws or raise taxes, making it difficult for the new nation to repay their debts from the Revolutionary War.

When did the Constitutional Convention reject the Articles of Confederation?

The fifty-five delegates who met in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787, would not only reject the Articles of Confederation altogether, but they would produce the first written constitution for any nation in the history of the world.

Who was involved in the creation of the Constitution?

Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, almost immediately began working toward strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national constitutional convention at Philadelphia in 1787.

What did the Constitutional Convention of 1787 do?

Although some regard it as America’s first “federal” constitution, in fact, it gave so few powers to the central American government that it was more like a treaty among the thirteen independent states than a constitution for a new nation.

What did Madison do at the Constitutional Convention?

Madison was joined in his effort by a group of delegates from Virginia and Pennsylvania who, in a series of meetings before the Convention formally began its business on May 25, combined to concoct a plan not merely to “amend” the Articles of Confederation, but to set the proceedings of the Convention on a far more ambitious course.

What did the delegates want to change about the constitution?

At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches—executive, legislative and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power.

What solutions did delegates at the Constitutional Convention?

“Great Compromise” Saves the Convention Finally, delegates made a “great compromise,” to create a bicameral (two-house) legislature with the states having equal representation in the upper house or senate and the people having proportional representation in the lower house, where all money bills were to originate.

What did the delegates decide to do instead?

Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation what did the delegates decide to do? They wrote a new constitution.

What are 2 main issues that the delegates of the constitution agreed upon?

How the Articles of Confederation failed and delegates met to create a new constitution. The major debates were over representation in Congress, the powers of the president, how to elect the president (Electoral College), slave trade, and a bill of rights. Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Washington.

What were three characteristics of the delegates?

some of the characteristics of the delegates to the constitutional convention were White males, wealthy, educated. Some were lawyers. Many helped write their state constitution and seven served as state. Some fought in the revolutionary war.

Why were the Southern delegates to the Constitutional Convention willing to accept?

Why were Southern delegates to the Constitutional Convention willing to accept the Three-Fifths Compromise? It allowed the South to expand its industrial output. Why did the Anti-Federalists demand that a bill of rights be added to the US Constitution? To protect individual freedoms from the federal government.

What issues were left unresolved with the Constitution?

The Electoral College settled how the president would be elected. Matters unresolved in the Constitution today: Although these compromises secured ratification of the Constitution, they also left some matters unresolved.

What is one thing all the delegates had in common?

Despite their differences, the delegates did have one thing in common: they were educated men. They had studied history and great political philosophers such as Locke and Montesquieu.

How many delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?

In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution.

Why did the delegates change the Articles of Confederation?

I believe the question you are asking is why the delegates at the constitutional convention changed the Articles of Confederation and replaced it with Constitution. It is on this premise that I will base my answer. By the mid-1780s, it was clear the Articles of Confederation, which was our first plan of government, had significant weaknesses.

How did the convention change the US Constitution?

At the constitutional convention, a new plan of government was written and eventually adopted by the states. Start your 48-hour free trial and unlock all the summaries, Q&A, and analyses you need to get better grades now. Already a member? Log in here.

Who was a delegate to the Federal Convention of 1787?

The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, rev. ed. (1911; repr., New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966), 2: 648–649. A member of Virginia’s General Assembly, George Mason did not serve in the Continental or Confederation Congresses at any point during his political career.