Constitutional Convention Research Paper

Superior Essays
The Constitutional Convention that took place in n1787 laid the foundation of a country that would have a large impact on the world. The arguments and proposals created at the Constitutional Convention would have a lasting impact on the American people. Our recreation of the Constitutional Convention attempted to shed light on the background and situations surrounding the original men at the 1787 Convention. The Constitutional Convention held in our class was strikingly different compared to the 1787 Convention due to differences in composition and results between our convention and the original. Our class convention took place during the week January 25th. The class split into six different groups: planters, merchant bankers, farmers, …show more content…
According to Foner, there were 55 delegates at the original convention. (Foner 202) The majority of the delegates had a college degree. (Foner 202) This is very different from our class’s roughly 30 delegates with no college degrees. Furthermore, the original convention lacked key groups that were found in our convention. Free blacks, farmers, laborers, and women were not at the original Constitutional Convention. This dispelled any racial tension at the convention because everyone was a rich, white male. Bills were also easier to pass. Most men at the original convention had similar backgrounds, beliefs, and lives. They saw eye to eye on many issues. At our convention, we had a large amount of people with different beliefs. A bill that offended even one social group was met with long periods of …show more content…
The differences in beliefs and composition caused differences in the bills we passed and the bills passed in 1787. Due to the race and social class of the men at the original Constitutional Convention, the fugitive slave law supporting the returning of property passed. This was called Fugitive Slave Clause and stated that although a slave may have made it to a free state; they are still considered the owner’s property. (Foner, 206) The burning issue regarding suffrage was not argued over at the original constitutional convention because every delegate was a white, male who could vote. Bonds and debts were decided in the original convention to be paid for by Congress (Foner,A-11). This was similar to our decision in

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