(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Great Compromise at Independence Hall

            The Constitutional Convention gathered in Independence Hall on May 25, 1787. On May 29 Governor Edmund Randolph introduces the Virginia Plan to the delegates, and the Convention begins with a bang. The Virginia Plan was the brainchild of James Madison and pertained to the representation of the states in the Senate. It called for an upper and lower house with the representatives from both houses selected in such a way that the states would have proportional representation. This proportion was based on their populations, so the larger states would have more representatives than the smaller states. This resolution began a tug-of-war between the large states and small states over representation in the house operating between May 30th and June 13th. The smaller states counteracted the Virginia Plan with the New Jersey Plan on June 15, which called for a unicameral house that used equal representation so every state had one vote in the senate. This plan was eventually merged with the Virginia Plan to create the "Great Compromise" on June 16 where the lower house was filled with proportional representation and the upper house was filled with equal representation. This "Great Compromise" according to Lance Banning cleared the air of a broad issue that was plaguing the Convention allowing the states to focus on issues that were specific to their jurisdictions, Jack Racove has a different opinion of this so called "Great" compromise though. He saw this as a huge defeat for the larger states and believes the problems this compromise created are still present today.
             The Great Compromise was the turning point of the Convention. It gave security to the smaller states so they instantly favored greater federal powers and brought the South's insecurities to the forefront. After the compromise the South was no longer defending its power as a large state, but instead defended its power as a slave-holding state.


Essays Related to The Great Compromise at Independence Hall

1. William Davie

North Carolina, the first colony to declare independence from Great Britain, sent five delegates on its behalf to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. ... Finally a compromising plan was established, known as both the Connecticut and/or Great Compromise. ... The Great Compromise did not entirely satisfy either of the opposing sides, it however created a compromise. ... Davie played a somewhat crucial role in the Great Compromise, paving the way for the later ratification of the Constitution. ... refid=761580648> NARA: Exhibit Hall: The Founding Fathers: North Carolina. 22 Sept. 2002. ...

  • Word Count: 1028
  • Approx Pages: 4

2. Miracle at Philadelphia - A Critical Commentary

It all began with a wish, a wish for a great interference in the lives of colonists -- a wish for a new form of government, separation from Europe and great wealth. ... Miss Bowen argues that the colonies, which had no pretensions to independent sovereignty before the Declaration of Independence and were not mentioned in that document by name, flaunted their state sovereignty after the 1783 peace was signed. ... State jealousies, she finds, invaded the meeting hall in conflicts concerning the apportionment of representatives, slavery, and commercial legislation. According to Miss Bowen, the ...

  • Word Count: 1258
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Poem By Witman

He was a man, who in his poetry, expressed independence, interdependence with other living things, and the struggles that are dealt with by him and others in order to gain that independence. ... Walt Whitman gives much insight into himself and others in his poetry, and gives his readers a great deal to think about. ... This is just another way in which Walt Whitman declared his independence and encouraged others to declare their independence by reading his writing, even though they were considered unbecoming. ... These experiences from the war hospitals developed into an addition to "Leaves of...

  • Word Count: 1471
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The American Criminal Justice System

America being a country which started with thirteen charter governments, based off of customs from Great Britain, and it was hard to make laws. This was until the Declaration of Independence was instituted on July 4th, 1776. ... This really can compromise our justice system because those afraid of being convicted might opt out for a lesser charge although they were innocent all along. ... Independence Hall Association, n.d. ... Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011. ...

  • Word Count: 1655
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a very popular, with a wide spread reputation as an ambassador extraordinare from the colonies to Great Britain.14 He organized the post office and became the first postmaster general. ... At this time, he was extremely involved with the colonial struggle for independence. ... This made Benjamin Franklin optimistic.21 On June 8, 1781, John Adams, John Jay and Franklin negotiated a peace treaty with Great Britain. ... On November 30, 1781, preliminaries were agreed upon, Congress instructed that there be two nonnegotiable conditions to the treaty: acknowledgme...

  • Word Count: 1655
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. French And American Revolution

During the late 1700's, two great revolutions occurred, the American Revolution and the French Revolution. These two historical events happened at the same time, but had a great number of differences and very little similarity. ... The dismissal of this great man, wrote Voltaire, crushes me. . . . ... In towns where royalist mayors were still popular, bands of men invaded town halls and killed city magistrates. ... Now contrast all of this with the American Revolution, more correctly called the War for Independence. ...

  • Word Count: 2777
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Miracle Of The Divine

State constitutions were the law of the land, and the Articles of Confederation that were approved by Congress in November of 1777 did nothing to keep America afloat on the high seas of Independence. ... The squire of Gunston Hall, George Mason, wrote to his son of the importance of the chance to reverse the country's downward spiral, "The eyes of the United States are turned upon this assembly and their expectations raised to a very anxious degree. ... The stalemate was finally over when a committee headed by the eighty-five year old Doctor Benjamin Franklin suggested "The Great Com...

  • Word Count: 2162
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Treaty of Versailles

After the defeat of the French by the Prussians in 1871 the Prussian diplomats met with French offcials in the "Hall of Mirrors- and hammered out an agreement. ... The leaders were David Lloyd George of Great Britain, Georges Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson of the United States.(1) The purpose of forcing this treaty upon Germany was the hope that the treaty would bring peace to Europe, which had just endured the bloodiest war of history. ... Lloyd George's attitude was more of a compromise between the two other gentleman. ...

  • Word Count: 2784
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Life and Contributions of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, as founding president of the Republic of Kenya is arguably one of Kenya's greatest and most beloved leaders. Even though his physical presence is long gone, his vision for a unified and free Kenyan lives on, and remains a major source of inspiration not only to Kenyans, but for all people of African descent. The name Kenyatta stems from the Swahili phrase taa ya Kenya, which stands for the "light of Kenya", truly befitting of his stature. Just as light shines in the dark, Kenyatta's vision shone so bright that it awakened Kenyans to th...

  • Word Count: 4327
  • Approx Pages: 17

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question