1. The Virginia Plan vs. the New Jersey Plan:
- The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation based on population, a strong executive, and an independent judiciary.
- The New Jersey Plan favored a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, a weak executive, and a plural executive.
- The convention ultimately adopted elements of both plans.
2. The Three-Fifths Compromise:
- This compromise addressed the issue of how to count slaves for the purposes of representation and taxation.
- It stipulated that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted when determining a state's population for representation in the House of Representatives and for allocating direct taxes.
3. The Electoral College:
- The delegates decided to create an Electoral College to elect the president and vice president.
- Each state would have a number of electors equal to its total number of representatives and senators in Congress.
4. The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise):
- This compromise resolved the issue of representation in Congress between large and small states.
- It created a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate with equal representation for each state.
5. The Slave Trade:
- The convention prohibited the federal government from abolishing the slave trade before 1808, but allowed individual states to do so.
- This provision was a concession to Southern states, which relied heavily on the slave trade.
6. Ratification of the Constitution:
- The Constitution required ratification by at least nine states before it could go into effect.
- The states ratified the Constitution in succession, with Delaware being the first on December 7, 1787.
- The final state to ratify was Rhode Island on May 29, 1790.