Constitutional Convention Representation Issues

The video discusses key issues addressed during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, focusing on representation and equality. It compares the New Jersey and Virginia Plans, leading to the Great Compromise, which established a bicameral legislature. The video also covers the contentious issue of slavery, including the three-fifths compromise, and the lack of a definitive stance on voting rights, which were left to the states. Amendments related to voting rights have since made the government more representative.

What was the main conflict regarding representation at the Constitutional Convention?

• Whether to include a Bill of Rights

• Whether states or individuals should be equally represented

• Whether to have a monarchy or a republic

• Whether to allow women to vote

What did the New Jersey Plan propose?

• A judiciary with lifetime appointments

• A strong executive branch with veto power

• A unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state

• A bicameral legislature with representation based on population

How did the Virginia Plan differ from the New Jersey Plan?

• It proposed a unicameral legislature

• It suggested equal representation for all states

• It included a Bill of Rights

• It advocated for representation based on population

What was the outcome of the Great Compromise?

• A strong executive branch with veto power

• A unicameral legislature with equal representation

• A bicameral legislature with one house based on equality and the other on population

• A judiciary with lifetime appointments

Why was the issue of slavery contentious during the Constitutional Convention?

• It was already abolished in the northern states

• It was not economically important to any state

• It was seen as a violation of Enlightenment ideals

• All states wanted to abolish it immediately

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?

• A decision to abolish slavery in the northern states

• A decision to count slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation

• A decision to give slaves the right to vote

• A decision to end the slave trade immediately

What protection did southern delegates demand for slavery?

• Immediate abolition of slavery

• A ban on the importation of slaves

• Equal representation for slaves in Congress

• A provision preventing Congress from limiting the slave trade for 20 years

How did the framers of the Constitution address voting rights?

• They guaranteed voting rights for women

• They left the decision to the states

• They prohibited property requirements for voting

• They established universal suffrage

Which group was primarily allowed to vote at the time of the Constitution's drafting?

• White male landowners

• All adult citizens

• All men regardless of race

• Women and free black men

What has been a significant focus of constitutional amendments since the 18th century?

• Increasing the power of the executive branch

• Establishing a monarchy

• Expanding voting rights

• Limiting the power of the judiciary