HY 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Daniel Shays, Anti-Federalism, Connecticut Compromise
29 May 2018
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Patriots in Philadelphia
1. The fifty-five delegates were conservative, well-to-do nationalists interested in preserving
and strengthening the young republic. They strongly desired a strong, firm, dignified and
respected government.
2. Delegates were determined to preserve the union, forestall anarchy and ensure security of
life and property against dangerous uprisings.
XI. Hammering Out a Bundle of Compromises.
1. Some delegates wanted to completely scrap the old articles of confederation, despite the
instructions from congress to revise them.
2. A scheme proposed by populous Virginia the large-state plan was first pushed forward as
the framework of the constitution.
• The Virginia plan’s essence was that the representation in both houses should be based on
population- which would give the larger states an advantage.
3. Tiny New Jersey, countered with the small-state plan. The New Jersey plan provided for
equal representation in a unicameral congress regardless of size and population.
4. After bitter and prolonged debate, the Great Compromise was agreed on. The larger states
were represented by population in the house of representative and the smaller states were
appeased by equal representation in the senate.
• The critical compromise broke the logjam and success was within reach.
5. The final constitution was short. It mostly provided a flexible guide of broad rules or
procedures rather than a fix set of detailed laws.
6. The president was to have broad authority to make decisions yet the presidential power
was far from absolute.
7. Another issue was determining whether the voteless slaves of the south should count as
representation.
• The south answered yes but the north replied no. as a compromise between total
representation and none at all it was decided that a slave would count as three-fifths of a
person- The Three-fifths Compromise.
• Slave trade was forbidden after 1807.
XII. Safeguard for Conservatism
1. Most of the delegates were in basic agreement economically, and were scared of rebellions
like Daniel Shay’s and made sure to take steps to keep the nation peaceful.
2. At the end of 17 weeks only 42 of the original 55 members remained to sign the
constitution. Three of the 42 refused to sign it.
XIII. The Clash of Federalists and
Antifederalists
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Document Summary
Patriots in philadelphia: the fifty-five delegates were conservative, well-to-do nationalists interested in preserving and strengthening the young republic. They strongly desired a strong, firm, dignified and respected government: delegates were determined to preserve the union, forestall anarchy and ensure security of life and property against dangerous uprisings. The new jersey plan provided for: after bitter and prolonged debate, the great compromise was agreed on. Three of the 42 refused to sign it. Antifederalists: the delegates knew that acceptance of all 13 states wouldn"t be easy. Had support from george washington and benjamin franklin. The great debate in the states: nine states accepted the constitution and on june 21st 1788 the document was officially adopted. The four laggard states: virginia, new york, north carolina and rhode island provided fierce antifederalist opposition, eventually virginia and new york they saw that they could not continue as independent states and accepted the constitution. A conservative triumph: the minority had triumphed- twice.
