The Compromises of the Constitution

The US Constitution emerged from the debate about weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and was the product of important compromises over issues of representation and the power of the federal government.  Although the Constitution was eventually ratified, debates over the role of the central government, the powers of state governments, and the rights of individuals remain at the heart of present-day constitutional issues.

In Philadelphia in 1787, representatives from the colonies met to fix the problems of the Articles of Confederation.

• Read Constitutional Convention

These representatives came from the widely different colonies, with their notions of freedom and prosperity, their fear of monarchy and democracy, and the motivation to get it right this time. They would need to compromise to satisfy the wants and needs of the various states.

The four major compromises were the Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, the Electoral College and the Bill of Rights. The Great Compromise (or Connecticut Compromise) settled matters of representation in the federal government by electing members of one house of Congress based on population and the other on equal representation for each state. The Three-Fifths Compromise settled matters of representation when it came to the enslaved population of southern states. The Electoral College settled how the President would be elected. The final major compromise between the Anti-Federalists and Federalists resulted in the Bill of Rights in 1791 and was offered by James Madison. The Federalists had won with the establishment of a strong Federal Government, but the Bill of Rights satisfied the Anti-Federalists by limiting the Federal Government's control over the rights of the citizens. Those 10 amendments have come to define the American political system.  Read The Bill of Rights.