The Constitutional Convention and the ratification debate

Grade 12 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to D on the Convention (the cards are summaries in our words; card D is made up). Card A, "The Convention". Who made it: written for this sheet from the National Archives and standard histories. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Convention met in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787, with George Washington presiding. Twelve states sent delegates; Rhode Island did not. Of the 55 delegates who attended, 39 signed the Constitution. Card B, "Two plans". Same maker as card A. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Virginia Plan gave states with more people more votes in Congress. The New Jersey Plan gave each state one equal vote, as under the Articles. Card C, "The Great Compromise". Same maker as card A. Summary in our words, not a quotation: It was agreed on July 16, 1787, by five states to four, with one state's delegates split. Seats in the House would depend on population; each state would have two senators. Card D, "Altis, Beren and Calda (made up)". Who made it: written for this sheet. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Altis has 400,000 people, Beren has 200,000 and Calda has 100,000. Under a plan with one vote for each 100,000 people, Altis has 4 votes, Beren has 2 and Calda has 1, a total of 7.

2. 1.

   Bo reads card D. What share of the votes would Altis hold under the Virginia Plan, and under the New Jersey Plan?

   • About 57 percent under both plans, because Altis has the most people and so the most votes under each plan
   • One third under both plans, because Altis is one of three states and each state has the same weight
   • One third under the Virginia Plan and about 57 percent under the New Jersey Plan, because the plans are the other way round
   • About 57 percent under the Virginia Plan (4 of 7) and one third under the New Jersey Plan (1 of 3)
3. 2.

   Milo applies card C to card D. What would the Great Compromise give Altis?

   • 2 of 6 House seats but 4 of 7 Senate seats, because the Senate is the house that counts the people
   • 4 of 7 seats in both houses, because Altis has the most people and the compromise counts people throughout
   • 4 of 7 House seats but 2 of 6 Senate seats, so Altis has extra weight in just one house
   • 1 of 3 seats in both houses, because the compromise gives each state the same weight in Congress
4. 3.

   Zee lists questions about cards A to C. Which one can the cards not answer?

   • Which of the two plans gave each state one equal vote in Congress, as the Articles had done
   • On what date the Great Compromise was agreed, and by what count of states it was agreed
   • How each state's delegates voted on the Great Compromise, apart from the count of five states to four
   • Which state did not send any delegates to the Convention, out of the thirteen states of 1787
5. 4.

   Kira reads card C. What does "five states to four, with one state's delegates split" show about the vote?

   • The compromise passed unanimously among the states that voted, with one state not taking part
   • The compromise passed by a wide margin, because five of the ten states that voted were for it
   • The compromise passed narrowly: five states said yes, four said no, and one state's delegates divided
   • The vote was held on July 16, 1787, in the Convention that met in Philadelphia that summer

6. Use this

   Cards A to C on counting people (card A is exact; cards B and C are in our words and made up). Card A, "Article I, Section 2 (1787)". Who made it: the Constitutional Convention. When: September 17, 1787. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to say how House seats and direct taxes are divided. Excerpt: "Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons." Card B, "The Three-Fifths Compromise". Who made it: written for this sheet from standard histories. Summary in our words, not a quotation: When dividing House seats and direct taxes, the delegates agreed to count three of every five enslaved people. Enslaved people had no vote, and the rule gave more seats to the states where slavery was legal. Card C, "Two made-up places". Who made it: written for this sheet. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Southfield has 600,000 free people and 400,000 enslaved people. Northvale has 1,000,000 free people.

7. 5.

   Esme applies card A to Southfield in card C. How many people count toward its House seats?

   • 600,000: the free persons count, and the others are left out of the count for House seats
   • 760,000: the 600,000 free persons plus two fifths of the 400,000 other persons in Southfield
   • 840,000: the 600,000 free persons plus three fifths of the 400,000 others
   • 1,000,000: the 600,000 free persons plus the 400,000 other persons, each counted as a full person
8. 6.

   Noah lists questions about the three cards on counting people. Which question can the cards not answer?

   • Whether the rule gave slaveholding states more seats than a count of free persons alone would give
   • How many House seats Southfield would hold, since no card gives a number of people for each seat
   • Which two things the three-fifths count was used to divide among the states of the Union
   • Whether enslaved people could vote in the elections that decided the House seats of their state
9. 7.

   Ari puts cards A to C together. Which claim do the cards support?

   • Southfield counts 840,000, above its 600,000 free people, though no enslaved person could vote
   • The delegates counted enslaved people as three fifths of a person because they judged them less than people
   • The clause counts three fifths of the other persons, as the Three-Fifths Compromise states in card B
   • The rule lowered Southfield's count below its free population, because just part of the others was counted

10. Use this

    Cards A and B on ratification (card A is exact; card B is a summary in our words). Card A, "Article VII (1787)". Who made it: the Constitutional Convention. When: September 17, 1787. For whom: the states. Why: to say how the Constitution would take effect. Excerpt: "The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same." Card B, "Ratification". Who made it: written for this sheet from the National Archives. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Delaware ratified first, on December 7, 1787. New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788. Virginia ratified on June 25 and New York on July 26, 1788, which made eleven states. The new government began on March 4, 1789. North Carolina ratified on November 21, 1789, and Rhode Island on May 29, 1790.

11. 8.

    Luz reads card A. What does "between the States so ratifying" mean for the nine states?

    • The Constitution would take effect just after the Confederation Congress approved it a second time
    • Each state had to wait until nine states had ratified before it could hold a vote of its own
    • The Constitution would take effect among the states that ratified, not for the states that waited
    • The Constitution would take effect for the whole of the thirteen states once nine had ratified it
12. 9.

    On June 23, 1788, Virginia has not yet voted. Tala applies card A to card B. What follows?

    • The Constitution is established among the nine ratifying states, though four have not yet joined
    • It is established just if Congress counts Virginia's vote before the new government is to begin
    • It is established for the full thirteen states, because nine states are a majority of the thirteen
    • It is not yet established, because Virginia, the largest state, has not yet taken its vote on it
13. 10.

    Pia puts cards A and B together. Which claim do the two cards support?

    • The new government waited for thirteen states to ratify before it began on March 4, 1789
    • The new government began the day New Hampshire ratified, June 21, 1788, as the ninth state
    • Nine states were enough for the government to begin, so the later states did not matter to it
    • The new government began on March 4, 1789 with eleven states, and the last two joined later