Constitutional Convention

April 19, 1775- Revolutionary war begins
July 4, 1776- Declaration of Independence
1777- Articles of Confederation was written
1781- Articles of Confederation is ratified
October 19, 1781- Revolutionary War fighting ends
1783- Treaty of Paris is signed
May 1787- the Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention: 55 delegates meet in Philadelphia. GeorgeWashington presided. The prominent delegates were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. The discussions were top secret. The objective of this meeting was to design a new government.

First Decision: Two Houses in Congress: In the senate they wanted each state to have the same number of votes. In the House of Representatives the votes are determined by the number of people in the state.

The Northerners said that slaves were property and they shouldn't count. The Southerners thought the opposite. They came up with the 3/5 compromise where slaves counted as 3/5 of a person.

Separation of Powers: 3 Branches
Legislative- senate, House of Representatives
Executive- president
Judicial- Supreme court and other federal courts