What debate threatened to tear apart the Constitutional Convention?

Answer 1

The debate that almost ended the Constitutional Convention was the debate between large states and small states, regarding how representation in legislature should be determined. The result of the debate was the Connecticut Compromise.

Answer 2

The hottest topic of debate was how the larger states would interact with the smaller ones in Congress. Larger states felt that Congressional representation should be based upon the population of each state. The idea was that the greater the number of people represented the greater the voting strength should be. This was the so-called Virginia Plan. Smaller states felt that representation should be equal for each state because they considered states as equal partners in the union. They were afraid their interests would be overwhelmed by larger states if representation were based on population alone. This was the so-called New Jersey Plan. The debate was so contentious that the Convention nearly broke up until the Great Compromise created the current system of Representatives being chosen by population and Senators being the same number for each.

Answer 3

The main issues were Federalist wanted a strong central government, and anti federalist wanted less federal government.

Anti-Federalist believed that the Articles of Confederation could be fixed and salvaged. They believed that the constitution would fail and would become tyrannical like the British they just defeated. They believed that it gave too much power to the president.

Federalist's felt strongly that there was no salvaging the Articles of Confederation.

Anti-Federalist also were afraid of the constitution because it gave us a new untested government. They criticized that there was a lack of a Bill of Rights with the Original constitution like the British Bill of Rights. There is a very strong resemblance between our Bill of Rights and the British Bill of Rights.

So the Main Debates were 1) What Kind of government? 2) What Kind of Representation and 3) Slave Representation

Small States wanted to be represented by equal state number, and Large States wanted to be represented by population. This gave us the Great Compromise. We would have a senate with equal representation and a House of Representatives that gave representation based on population. This also gave a check and balance that the Articles of Confederation never had.

Slave representation, southern states wanted slaves to be counted, and northern states did not. The south had a large slave population and the north was afraid if they let them be represented then the south would have such representation that the south would have too much power in the decision that would be made. this caused the slave compromise that slaves would be counted as 3/5.

Answer 4

Well having slaves was one of the major issues, and just what they should do.

Answer 5

The most serious disagreement arose over the question of represen-

tation in the new national legislature, or lawmaking body.

Answer 6

the issue of how states would be represented in government

Answer 7

Organization and function to the executive branch

Answer 8

Slave owner ship.