That is a question asked by many today.
To answer that question, we must go back to the beginning.
The Constitutional Convention
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. The Articles were our first Constitution.
By 1787, the Articles of Confederation were deemed too weak and had to be replaced. Ergo, it was decided by our Founders to hold a Constitutional Convention.
The Constitutional Convention took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Convention Delegates
Twelve of the 13 original States participated by sending delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
Rhode Island did not participate because it was against the idea of a stronger federal government.
55 delegates attended the Convention. The twelve States sent from one to four delegates.
George Washington was immediately named the Convention’s President.
James Madison is known as “The Father of the Constitution”.
Differences of Opinion
The delegates were men from States strung from up and down the Atlantic Coast. It is only reasonable to say that there was much disagreement on many things.
We are very lucky today that our Founders were intelligent men, some of them either genius or approaching genius. These men were acutely aware of two things:
– A new Constitution was needed.
– There would have to be compromise.
One Debate of Many
One of the many debates was how many representatives there would be in the Federal Legislatue representing each State.
The States with larger populations felt that representation should be based on population. The reasoning being that the people should have a say in the Federal Government.
The States with smaller populations felt that representation should be the same for all States. The reasoning being that each State was a semi- autonomous government and should have equal say in the Federal Government.
The Compromise
A Bicameral Legislature.
The House of Representative which would represent the people. Each State having the number of Representatives based on population.
The Senate which would represent the States. Each State Having two Senators.
In Other Words
It’s in the Constitution.
The Constitution is more than just a piece of paper. It’s the foundation of our nation and the framework upon which our democracy is built.
Click here to watch my Constitution Crash Course on YouTube.
