Question

Is this statement true or false? The delegates to the Constitutional Convention faced difficulties compromising on the issues of slavery, representation, and balance of power. true false

Answer 1

This statement is true.

The Constitutional Convention took place from May 25 to September 17, 1778 in Philadelphia. It produced the U. S. Constitution which was also called ' the bundle of compromises' because its drafting process was long and grueling.

The delegates faced difficulties compromising on :

1. Representation. The small states wanted each state to have the same number of representatives in Congress. The big states wanted representation based on population. The Great Compromise ( called the Connecticut Compromise ) combined both plans. Two chambers in the congress were created : the Senate and the House of Representatives.

2. Slavery. The Northern States wanted to end importation and sale of slaves, this was opposed by the Southern states that thought that slavery was still vital to their economy. A compromise was reached where the states in the north agreed to wait till 1808 before the Congress would ban slavery. A fugitive slave law was also agreed on, which required the Northern states to deport any runaway slaves.

3. Balance of power. The delegates decided that a president was necessary as a chief executive of the Unites States. The debate was about how he should be elected. A compromise was reached to create the Electoral College, which is made up of electors that are voted for by citizens.

Answer 2

The statement is true. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention faced difficulties compromising on the issues of slavery, representation and balance of power.

The delegates that gathered in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House in 1787 had a hard task since the thirteen states were pretty much disunited at that time. The issue was whether slaves would be counted as part of the population in determining representation of the states or would not be considered for purposes of representation. There were strong disagreements during the Convention. Delegates from states with a large population of slaves were in favour of considering slaves for determining representation, but those from states with a small population of slaves were against it. However, in less than four months, they were able to reach an agreement. This agreement reached among state delegates during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention is called the Three-Fifths Compromise. The final compromise was to count three out of every five slaves as a person for the purpose of determining representation.