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Trust for Representative Democracy Home Page

Appreciating Democracy: A Lesson Plan for High School Teachers of
Civics, Government, and U.S. History

Activity 2--Item C1
Differences and Settlement in Framing the U.S. Constitution
Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan Table of Contents

Activity 2 (Print or Download Files)

Activity 2--Item C1
Differences and Settlement in Framing the U.S. Constitution

By studying an important historic event students can see that the basic principles of democracy have been part of the American experience from our beginnings. Students can also gain an appreciation for the enduring nature of these concepts when they compare past practices in government to present practices.

1. To understand and appreciate a few of the basic practices of democracy:

• That people have different values, interests and opinions.
• These differences are often settled by means of deliberation and negotiation, with compromise and a majority vote as key elements.

2. To explore differences among the states and settlements worked out by delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

1. Allow student time to read the student handout and answer clarifying questions. (10 minutes)
2. Review the directions for the activity with the students.
3. Assign student roles. (directions and roles 2 minutes)
4. Allow students to deliberate and negotiate. (15 -20 minutes)
5. Observe the deliberation and negotiations process and make notes using the Observer Worksheet,
6. Debrief the activity using the debriefing questions below. Allow plenty of time for students to reflect on their experiences. Share your observations with students and help to clarify the processes the students engaged in. (15 - 20 minutes)
7. Conclude by telling students how the framers did in fact resolve this conflict.

1. What were the disagreements among you and why?
2. How did you try to work through the disagreements and reach a settlement?
3. How do you feel about the process? Was it effective? Was it fair?
4. What did you learn from this experience?

As the tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain intensified, delegates gathered in 1775 at the Second Continental Congress to discuss how best to proceed. By the late spring of 1776, independence from Great Britain seemed imminent. The next serious issue the delegates faced was how to govern the new nation. On July 2, 1776 a plan was submitted to the Congress that called for a confederation of states to be formed around a weak central government. This system was adopted and became known as the Articles of Confederation. Under the Articles of Confederation the young nation successfully fought a war against Great Britain and secured its independence. However, the structure of the new government led to many problems for the country.

Under the Articles of Confederation the states retained more power than the national government. Although this was done intentionally in order to avoid a central government that could become too powerful and tyrannical, the result was chaos that threatened the very existence of the new nation. Some of the problems were the national government's inability to enforce any laws or treaties that it passed or to collect taxes from the states. It was left to the states to enforce the laws and to contribute financially to the central government through the levying of state taxes. Due to this system the central government was unable to repay war debts and raise sufficient funds to successfully operate. In addition, many treaties negotiated with foreign nations were not enforced by the states, thus jeopardizing the nation's credibility in the international arena. There was also a general lack of cooperation among states, particularly concerning trade. Once again the national government was powerless to take any action as each state maintained individual sovereignty.

By 1787 the future of the new nation was so threatened that the Congress called for a meeting of delegates from each state to discuss amendments to the Articles of Confederation. Fifty-five delegates from twelve of the thirteen states attended this meeting in Philadelphia. (Rhode Island did not send delegates to the convention.) This gathering became known as the Constitutional Convention, because once assembled most of the delegates agreed that what was needed was an entirely new structure for the national government. They proceeded to draft the United States Constitution. Although most of the delegates agreed on a need for a new system of national government, there were many issues that they did not agree on. At times the disagreements were so serious that the success of the convention was threatened.

In the following activity it will be your job to resolve an issue on which delegates from the states disagreed because the interests of the states they represented were different. The disagreement related to how the new government's legislature should be structured.

One side supported what was called the Virginia Plan. The other side supported what was called the New Jersey Plan. The principle difference between the two plans had to do with the structure of the legislative branch and found the larger states at odds with the smaller states.

The Virginia Plan provided that the legislature would have two houses. Members of the House of Representatives would be elected directly by the people of each state, while members of the Senate would be selected by the House of Representatives from lists of persons provided by each state. In both the House and the Senate, the number of representatives for each state would be based that state's population. The New Jersey Plan provided that the legislature should be comprised of only one house and that each state would be equally represented in that house.

Your assignment is to act as a delegate from one of the states present at the convention, the interests of which you are pledged to represent. You have been provided population statistics for each state based upon census figures from 1790. Consider these figures when determining the interests and position of your state.

1. Figure out whether it is in the interest of your state for your delegation to support the Virginia Plan or the New Jersey Plan. Why have you decided the way that you have?
2. Reach an agreement, if you can, with the delegates from the other states. Nine of the thirteen states will have to approve the new constitution in order for it to go into effect. Therefore, to reach an agreement, assume that you need at least nine votes. If you fail to reach an agreement, there will be no new constitution and the future of the American nation may be in jeopardy.

1. Did students figure out that the difference between the large and the small states were over representation in the new Congress? It was in the interest of the larger states to have the number of seats based on population. It was in the interest of the smaller states to have each state represented equally. How did students decide on their state's interests and a position? Did students divide into two blocs--a Virginia bloc and a New Jersey bloc?

 

 

2. In deliberating, what arguments were made on the merits by the larger and smaller states? Was anyone persuaded?

 

 

3. Did the students try to negotiate, and were any compromises suggested and/or adopted?

 

 

4. What votes were taken, and for what purposes?

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