The Constitutional Convention took place in 1787 and is
known by many other names also like Grand Convention at Philadelphia, The Federal
Convention or the Philadelphia Convention etc. The key compromises include the
Great Compromise which solved the issue of representation in Congress.
Three-Fifth Compromise according to which every five slaves were equal to three
free people. Trade Compromise where the president was given the power to sign
contracts with other countries given the condition that two-third of the Senate
approve the contract. The other compromises included Slave Trade Compromise and
the Electoral College.
The Articles of Confederation was the first plan of government for the young United States. There were many flaws with this plan.
1. The Articles gave too much power to the states, and too little power to the national government. Because of this, many conflicts, such as the Shay's Rebellion arose. The national government did not have much power to prevent conflict between the states, and this basically caused chaos.
2. To make a change in the nation, all thirteen states had to agree. This, in itself, was extremely hard to do. Even today, only 2/3rd of Congress has to agree to ratify a bill. However, the Articles of Confederation did not give the central government enough power to levy taxes, or command a military.
Overall, the Articles of Confederation were weak. This eventually led to a Constitutional Convention, and the ratification of our US Constitution.
