People-

George Washington-the dominant military and political leader of the

new United States of America from 1775–1797, leading the American
victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander
in chief of the Continental Army, 1775–1783, and presiding over the
writing of the Constitution in 1787. As the unanimous choice to serve
as the first President of the United States (1789–1797),[Note 1] he
developed the forms and rituals of government that have been used
ever since, such as using a cabinet system and delivering an inaugural
address. The president built a strong, well-financed national
government that avoided war, suppressed rebellion and won
acceptance among Americans of all types. Acclaimed ever since as the
"Father of his country", Washington, along with Abraham Lincoln
(1809–1865), has become a central icon of republican values, self
sacrifice in the name of the nation, American nationalism and the ideal
union of civic and military leadership.

Benedict Arnold-was a general during the American Revolutionary War.

He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the
British Army. While he was still a general on the American side, he
obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted
unsuccessfully to surrender it to the British. After the plot was exposed
in September 1780, he entered the British Army as a brigadier general.

Gen. William Howe-a British army officer who rose to become

Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of
Independence. Howe was one of three brothers who enjoyed
distinguished military careers. Howe's record in the War of
Independence was marked by the costly victorious assault on Breed's
Hill known as the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the successful capture of
both New York City and Philadelphia (the latter of which would have
significant strategic implications).

Gen John Burgoye-During the Saratoga campaign he surrendered his

army of 5,000 men to the American troops. Appointed to command a
force that would capture Albany and end the rebellion, Burgoyne
advanced from Canada but soon found himself surrounded and
outnumbered. He fought two battles at Saratoga, but was forced to
open negotiations with Horatio Gates. Although he agreed to a
convention, on 17 October 1777, which would allow his troops to return
home, this was subsequently revoked and his men were made
prisoners. Burgoyne faced criticism when he returned to Britain, and
never held another active command.

Joseph Brant- a Mohawk military and political leader who was closely
associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution.
He was perhaps the most well-known North American Indian of his
generation. He met many of the most significant people of the age,
including George Washington and King George III. While not born into a
hereditary leadership role within the Iroquois League, Brant rose to
prominence thanks to his abilities and his connections to British
officials. Through his sister, Molly Brant, he was associated with Sir
William Johnson, the influential British Indian agent in the province of
New York. During the American Revolutionary War, Brant led Mohawk
and colonial Loyalists against American revolutionaries in a bitter
partisan war on the New York frontier. During the war, he was accused
by the Americans of committing atrocities, charges that were later
shown to be false. After the war, he relocated to Canada, where he
remained a prominent leader.

Barron Von Steuben-was a Prussian aristocrat and military officer who

served as inspector general and Major general of the Continental Army
during the American Revolutionary War. He is credited with teaching
the Continental Army the essentials of military drill and discipline.[2]
He wrote the Revolutionary War Drill Manual, the book that became
the standard United States drill manual until the War of 1812, and
served as General George Washington's chief of staff in the final years
of the war.

George Rogers Clark-was a soldier from Virginia and the highest

ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during
the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky
(then part of Virginia) militia throughout much of the war. Clark is best
known for his celebrated captures of Kaskaskia (1778) and Vincennes
(1779), which greatly weakened British influence in the Northwest
Territory. Because the British ceded the entire Northwest Territory to
the United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, Clark has often been
hailed as the "Conqueror of the Old Northwest."

Gen Cornwallis-In the United States and United Kingdom he is best

remembered as one of the leading British generals in the American
War of Independence. His 1781 surrender to a combined American-
French force at the Siege of Yorktown ended significant hostilities in
North America.

Abigail Adams-wife of John Adams, who was the second President of

the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth.
She was the first Second Lady of the United States, and the second
First Lady of the United States. Adams is remembered for the many
letters she wrote to her husband while he stayed in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, during the Continental Congresses. John frequently
sought the advice of Abigail on many matters, and their letters are
filled with intellectual discussions on government and politics. The
letters are invaluable eyewitness accounts of the Revolutionary War
home front as well as excellent sources of political commentary.

James Madison-an American politician and political philosopher who

served as the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is
considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was
the principal author of the US Constitution, and is often called the
"Father of the Constitution". In 1788, he wrote over a third of the
Federalist Papers, the most influential commentary on the Constitution.
The first president to have served in the United States Congress, he
was a leader in the 1st United States Congress, drafting many basic
laws, and was responsible for the first ten amendments to the
Constitution and thus is also known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights".
As a political theorist, Madison's most distinctive belief was that the
new republic needed checks and balances to protect individual rights
from the tyranny of the majority. As leader in the House of
Representatives, Madison worked closely with President George
Washington to organize the new federal government. Breaking with
Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in 1791, Madison and Thomas
Jefferson organized what they called the Republican Party (later called
the Democratic-Republican Party)[7] in opposition to key policies of the
Federalists, especially the national bank and the Jay Treaty. He secretly
co-authored, along with Thomas Jefferson, the Kentucky and Virginia
Resolutions in 1798 to protest the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Terms:
Loyalist (tories)- were against the whig party. 20% white. They agreed
with the cause of the rebellion and did not like the taxes, mch like the
pariots but disagreed that independence was the only solution. The
two groups hated each other more than the patriots and the
british.highest in New Jersey and New York. Small % of Canadians were
loyalist due to government set up. People in the states who thought
they would lose freedoms after independence joined tories.

Hessians-soldiers were eighteenth-century German regiments hired

through their rulers by the British Empire.They were called Hessians,
because 12,992 of the total 30,067 men came from Hesse-Kassel. The
British use of Hessian troops rankled American sentiment, and pushed
more loyalists to be in favor of the revolution. The British use of foreign
troops to put down the rebellion was seen as insulting, as it treated
British subjects no differently than non-British subjects. Pro-British
Tories believed that the British nature of Americans should have
entitled them to something other than mercenary foes.

Patriots (Whigs)-They called themselves Whigs after 1768, identifying

with members of the British Whig Party, i.e., Radical Whigs and Patriot
Whigs, who favored similar colonial policies.As a group, Patriots
represented an array of social, economic, ethnic and racial
backgrounds. They included college students like Alexander Hamilton,
planters like Thomas Jefferson, merchants like Alexander McDougall,
and plain farmers like Daniel Shays and Joseph Plumb Martin.

Privateers- a private person or private warship authorized by a

country's government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping.
Privateers were only entitled by their state to attack and rob enemy
vessels during wartime. Privateers were part of naval warfare of some
nations from the 16th to the 19th century. The crew of a privateer
might be treated as prisoners of war by the enemy country if captured.
The costs of commissioning privateers was borne by investors hoping
to gain a significant return from prize money earned from enemy
merchants. It has been argued that privateering was a less destructive
and wasteful form of warfare, because the goal was to capture ships
rather than to sink them.The investors would arm the vessels and
recruit large crews, much larger than a merchantman or a naval vessel
would carry, in order to crew the prizes they captured. Privateers
generally cruised independently, but it was not unknown for them to
form squadrons, or to co-operate with the regular navy.

“Mobocracy”- political control by a mob

Seporation of Powers-devised by the framers of the Constitution was

designed to do one primary thing: to prevent the majority from ruling
with an iron fist. Based on their experience, the framers shied away
from giving any branch of the new government too much power. Three
branches are created in the Constitution. The Legislative, composed of
the House and Senate, is set up in Article 1. The Executive, composed
of the President, Vice-President, and the Departments, is set up in
Article 2. The Judicial, composed of the federal courts and the Supreme
Court, is set up in Article 3. Each of these branches has certain powers,
and each of these powers is limited, or checked, by another branch.

Checks and balances-The American constitutional system includes a

notion known as the Separation of Powers. In this system, several
branches of government are created and power is shared between
them. At the same time, the powers of one branch can be challenged
by another branch. This is what the system of checks and balances is
all about.

There are three branches in the United States government as

established by the Constitution. First, the Legislative branch makes the
law. Second, the Executive branch executes the law. Last, the Judicial
branch interprets the law. Each branch has an effect on the other.

Legislative Branch

Checks on the Executive

Impeachment power (House)

Trial of impeachments (Senate)
Selection of the President (House) and Vice President (Senate)
in the case of no majority of electoral votes
May override Presidential vetoes
Senate approves departmental appointments
Senate approves treaties and ambassadors
Approval of replacement Vice President
Power to declare war
Power to enact taxes and allocate funds
President must, from time-to-time, deliver a State of the Union
address
Checks on the Judiciary
Senate approves federal judges
Impeachment power (House)
Trial of impeachments (Senate)
Power to initiate constitutional amendments
Power to set courts inferior to the Supreme Court
Power to set jurisdiction of courts
Power to alter the size of the Supreme Court
Checks on the Legislature - because it is bicameral, the Legislative
branch has a degree of self-checking.
Bills must be passed by both houses of Congress
House must originate revenue bills
Neither house may adjourn for more than three days without
the consent of the other house
All journals are to be published
Executive Branch

Checks on the Legislature

 Veto power
Vice President is President of the Senate
Commander in chief of the military
Recess appointments
Emergency calling into session of one or both houses of
Congress
May force adjournment when both houses cannot agree on
adjournment
Compensation cannot be diminished
Checks on the Judiciary
Power to appoint judges
Pardon power
Checks on the Executive
Vice President and Cabinet can vote that the President is
unable to discharge his duties
Judicial Branch

Checks on the Legislature

Judicial review
Seats are held on good behavior
Compensation cannot be diminished
Checks on the Executive
Judicial review
Chief Justice sits as President of the Senate during presidential
impeachment

Federalism-a political concept in which a group of members are

bound together by covenant (Latin: foedus, covenant) with a governing
representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a
system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally
divided between a central governing authority and constituent political
units (like states or provinces). Federalism is a system in which the
power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state
governments, creating what is often called a federation. Proponents
are often called federalists.
Federalists-an American political party in the period 1792 to 1816, the
era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The
Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801. The party
was formed by Alexander Hamilton, who, during George Washington's
first term, built a network of supporters, largely urban bankers and
businessmen, to support his fiscal policies. These supporters grew into
the Federalist Party committed to a fiscally sound and nationalistic
government. The United States' only Federalist president was John
Adams; although George Washington was broadly sympathetic to the
Federalist program, he remained an independent his entire presidency.
The Federalist policies called for a national bank, tariffs, and good
relations with Britain as expressed in the Jay Treaty negotiated in
1794. Their political opponents, the Republicans, led by Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison, denounced most of the Federalist
policies, especially the bank, and vehemently attacked the Jay Treaty
as a sell-out of republican values to the British monarchy.
Anti-Federalist - goes against the concept of Federalism. In short, Anti-
Federalists dictate that the central governing authority of a nation
should be equal or inferior to, but not having more power than, its sub-
national states (state government). A book titled "The Anti-Federalist
Papers" is a detailed explanation of American Anti-Federalist thought.
Anti-Federalism also refers to a movement that opposed the creation
of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the
ratification of the Constitution of 1787. The previous constitution,
called the Articles of Confederation, gave state governments more
authority. Led by Patrick Henry of Virginia, Anti-Federalists worried,
among other things, that the position of president, then a novelty,
might evolve into a monarchy.

Events-
Battles of Trenton & Princeton-
- Trenton: took place on December 26, 1776, during the American
Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the
Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing
in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main
body of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at
Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was
captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. The battle
significantly boosted the Continental Army's flagging morale, and
inspired re-enlistments. The Continental Army had previously suffered
several defeats in New York and had been forced to retreat through
New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Morale in the army was low; to end the
year on a positive note, George Washington—Commander-in-Chief of
the Continental Army—devised a plan to cross the Delaware River on
Christmas night and surround the Hessian garrison. Because the river
was icy and the weather severe, the crossing proved dangerous. Two
detachments were unable to cross the river, leaving Washington and
the 2,400 men under his command alone in the assault. The army
marched 9 miles (14 km) south to Trenton. The Hessians had lowered
their guard, thinking they were safe from the American army, and did
not post a dawn sentry. After having a Christmas feast, they fell
asleep. Washington's forces caught them off guard and, before the
Hessians could resist, they were taken prisoner. Almost two thirds of
the 1,500-man garrison was captured, and only a few troops escaped
across Assunpink Creek. Despite the battle's small numbers, the
American victory inspired rebels in the colonies. With the success of
the revolution in doubt a week earlier, the army had seemed on the
verge of collapse. The dramatic victory inspired soldiers to serve
longer and attracted new recruits to the ranks.
-Princeton:went to attack the British garrison at Princeton. Brigadier
General Hugh Mercer, of the Continental Army, clashed with two
regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood
of the British Army. Mercer and his troops were overrun and
Washington sent some militia under General John Cadwalader to help
him. The militia, on seeing the flight of Mercer's men, also began to
flee. Washington rode up with reinforcements and rallied the fleeing
militia. He then led the attack on Mawhood's troops, driving them back.
Mawhood gave the order to retreat and most of the troops tried to flee
to Cornwallis in Trenton.
After entering Princeton, the Americans began to loot the
abandoned British supply wagons and the town itself.[38] With news
that Cornwallis was approaching, Washington knew he had to leave
Princeton. Washington wanted to push onto New Brunswick and
capture a British pay chest of 70,000 pounds but Major Generals Henry
Knox and Nathanael Greene talked him out of it.[39] Instead,
Washington moved his army to Somerset Courthouse and in the
following days, to Morristown, arriving on January 6, at 5:00 PM.[3][39]
After the battle, Cornwallis abandoned many of his posts in New Jersey,
and ordered his army to retreat to New Brunswick.

Battle of Saratoga-conclusively decided the fate of British General

John Burgoyne's army in the American Revolutionary War, (known
outside the US as the American War of Independence) and are
generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were
fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, nine miles (14.5 km)
south of Saratoga, New York. Burgoyne, whose campaign to divide New
England from the southern colonies had started well but slowed due to
logistical problems, won a small tactical victory over General Horatio
Gates and the Continental Army in the September 19 Battle of
Freeman's Farm at the cost of significant casualties. His gains were
erased when he again attacked the Americans in the October 7 Battle
of Bemis Heights and the Americans captured a portion of the British
defenses. Burgoyne was therefore compelled to retreat, and his army
was surrounded by the much larger American force at Saratoga,
forcing him to surrender on October 17. News of Burgoyne's surrender
was instrumental in formally bringing France into the war as an
American ally, having previously given supplies, ammunition and guns,
notably the de Valliere which played an important role in Saratoga.[8]
French formal participation changed the war to a global conflict. This
battle also resulted in Spain contributing to the war on the American
side.
The first battle, on September 19, began when Burgoyne moved some
of his troops in an attempt to flank the entrenched American position
on Bemis Heights. Benedict Arnold, anticipating the maneuver, placed
significant forces in his way. While Burgoyne succeeded in gaining
control of Freeman's Farm, it came at the cost of significant casualties.
Skirmishing continued in the days following the battle, while Burgoyne
waited in the hope that reinforcements would arrive from New York
City. Militia forces continued to arrive, swelling the size of the
American army. Disputes within the American camp led Gates to strip
Arnold of his command.
Concurrent with the first battle, American troops also attacked British
positions in the area of Fort Ticonderoga, and bombarded the fort for a
few days before withdrawing. British General Sir Henry Clinton, in an
attempt to divert American attention from Burgoyne, captured
American forts in the Hudson River highlands on October 6, but his
efforts were too late to help Burgoyne. Burgoyne attacked Bemis
Heights again on October 7 after it became apparent he would not
receive relieving aid in time. In heavy fighting, marked by Arnold's
spirited rallying of the American troops (in open defiance of orders to
stay off the battlefield), Burgoyne's forces were thrown back to the
positions they held before the September 19 battle, and the Americans
captured a portion of the entrenched British defenses.

Battle (surrender) of Yorktown-1781 was a decisive victory by

combined assault of American forces led by General George
Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over
a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis. It
proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary
War in North America, as the surrender of Cornwallis's army prompted
the British government eventually to negotiate an end to the conflict.
In 1780, 5,500 French soldiers landed in Rhode Island to assist their
American allies in operations against British-controlled New York City.
Following the arrival of dispatches from France that included the
possibility of support from the French West Indies fleet of the Comte de
Grasse, Washington and Rochambeau decided to ask de Grasse for
assistance either in besieging New York, or in military operations
against a British army operating in Virginia. On the advice of
Rochambeau, de Grasse informed them of his intent to sail to the
Chesapeake Bay, where Cornwallis had taken command of the army.
Cornwallis, at first given confusing orders by his superior officer, Henry
Clinton, was eventually ordered to make a defensible deep-water port,
which he began to do at Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis's movements in
Virginia were shadowed by a Continental Army force led by the
Marquis de Lafayette. After initial preparations, the Americans and
French built their first parallel and began the bombardment. With the
British defense weakened, Washington on October 14, 1781 sent two
columns to attack the last major remaining British outer defenses. A
French column took redoubt #9 and an American column redoubt #10.
With these defenses taken, the allies were able to finish their second
parallel.[citation needed] With the American artillery closer and more
intense than ever, the British situation began to deteriorate rapidly and
Cornwallis asked for capitulation terms on the 17th. After two days of
negotiation, the surrender ceremony took place on the 19th, with
Cornwallis being absent since he claimed to be ill. With the capture of
over 8,000 British soldiers, negotiations between the United States and
Great Britain began, resulting in the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Treaty of Paris (1785)-September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of

the Confederation on January 14, 1784, and by the King of Great
Britain on April 9, 1784 (the ratification documents were exchanged in
Paris on May 12, 1784), formally ended the American Revolutionary
War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United States of
America, which had rebelled against British rule. The other combatant
nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate
agreements; , and the negotiations which produced all four
treaties,Peace of Paris (1783).

Articles of Confederation-was the first constitution of the United States

of America and specified how the national government was to operate.
The Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to draft the
Articles in June 1776 and sent the draft to the states for ratification in
November 1777.[1] In practice, the Articles were in use beginning in
1777. The ratification process was completed in March 1781. Under the
Articles, the states retained sovereignty over all governmental
functions not specifically relinquished to the national government.
On June 12, 1776, a day after appointing a committee to prepare a
draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Second Continental
Congress resolved to appoint a committee of thirteen to prepare a
draft of a constitution for a confederate type of union. The last draft of
the Articles was written in the summer of 1777 and the Second
Continental Congress approved them for ratification by the States on
November 15, 1777, after a year of debate. In practice, the final draft
of the Articles served as the de facto system of government used by
the Congress ("the United States in Congress assembled") until it
became de jure by final ratification on March 1, 1781; at which point
Congress became the Congress of the Confederation. The Articles set
the rules for operations of the United States government. It was
capable of making war, negotiating diplomatic agreements, and
resolving issues regarding the western territories. Article XIII stipulated
that "their provisions shall be inviolably observed by every state" and
"the Union shall be perpetual".
The Articles were created by the representatives of the states in the
Second Continental Congress out of a perceived need to have "a plan
of confederacy for securing the freedom, sovereignty, and
independence of the United States." Nationalists led by George
Washington and Alexander Hamilton felt that the Articles lacked the
necessary provisions for a sufficiently effective government. There was
no president or executive agencies or judiciary. There was no tax base.
There was no way to pay off state and national debts from the war
years. In 1788, with the approval of Congress, the Articles were
replaced by the United States Constitution and the new government
began operations in 1789.

Shays Rebellion-an armed uprising in central and western

Massachusetts (mainly Springfield) from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is
named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolution who
led the rebels, known as "Shaysites" or "Regulators". Most of Shays'
compatriots were poor farmers angered by crushing debt and taxes.
Failure to repay such debts often resulted in imprisonment in debtor's
prisons or the claiming of property by the government. Seeking debt
relief through the issuance of paper currency and lower taxes, they
attempted to prevent the courts from seizing property from indebted
farmers by forcing the closure of courts in western Massachusetts. The
participants in Shays' Rebellion believed they were acting in the spirit
of the Revolution and modeled their tactics after the crowd activities of
the 1760s and 1770s, using "liberty poles" and "liberty trees" to
symbolize their cause. The rebellion started on August 29, 1786, and
by January 1787, over 1000 Shaysites had been arrested. A militia that
had been raised as a private army defeated an attack on the federal
Springfield Armory by the main Shaysite force on February 3, 1787,
and four rebels were killed in the action. There was a lack of an
institutional response to the uprising, which energized calls to
reevaluate the Articles of Confederation and gave strong impetus to
the Philadelphia Convention which began in May 17, 1787. Shays'
Rebellion produced fears that the Revolution’s democratic impulse had
gotten out of hand.

Land Ordinance of 1785-adopted by the United States Congress on

May 20, 1785. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress did not
have the power to raise revenue by direct taxation of the inhabitants of
the United States. Therefore, the immediate goal of the ordinance was
to raise money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped
territory west of the original states acquired at the 1783 peace treaty
that ended the Revolutionary War. Over three-fourths of the area of
the continental United States ultimately came under the rectangular
survey. This was important because it provided easily recognized land
descriptions, which in turn contributed enormously to the orderly and
largely peaceful occupation of the land. The rectangular survey also
provided the units within which economic, political, and social
development took place.
The Ordinance of 1784 was a resolution written by Thomas Jefferson
calling for Congress to take action. The land west of the Appalachian
Mountains, north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River
was to be divided into ten separate states. However, the 1784
resolution did not define the mechanism by which the land would
become states, or how the territories would be governed or settled
before they became states. The Ordinance of 1785 put the 1784
resolution in operation by providing a mechanism for selling and
settling the land while the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 addressed
political needs.
The 1785 ordinance laid the foundations of land policy until passage of
the Homestead Act in 1862. The Land Ordinance established the basis
for the Public Land Survey System. The initial surveying was performed
by Thomas Hutchins. After he died in 1789, responsibility for surveying
was transferred to the Surveyor General. Land was to be
systematically surveyed into square townships, six miles (9.656 km) on
a side. Each of these townships were sub-divided into thirty-six
sections of one square mile (2.59 km²) or 640 acres. These sections
could then be further subdivided for re-sale by settlers and land
speculators.
The ordinance was also significant for establishing a mechanism for
funding public education. Section 16 in each township was reserved for
the maintenance of public schools. Many schools today are still located
in section sixteen of their respective townships, although a great many
of the school sections were sold to raise money for public education.
Later Section 36 of each township was also designated as a "school
section".

Northwest Ordinance of 1787-put the world on notice not only that

the land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi would be
settled but that it would eventually become part of the United States.
Until then this area had been temporarily forbidden to development.
Increasing numbers of settlers and land speculators were attracted to
what are now the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and
Wisconsin. This pressure together with the demand from the Ohio Land
Company, soon to obtain vast holdings in the Northwest, prompted the
Congress to pass this Ordinance The area opened up by the Ordinance
was based on lines originally laid out in 1784 by Thomas Jefferson in
his Report of Government for Western Lands. The Ordinance provided
for the creation of not less than three nor more than five states. In
addition, it contained provisions for the advancement of education, the
maintenance of civil liberties and the exclusion of slavery. Above all,
the Northwest Ordinance accelerated the westward expansion of the
United States.

Constitutional Convention of 1787-also known as the Philadelphia

Convention,[1] the Federal Convention,[1] or the Grand
Convention at Philadelphia) took place from May 25 to September
17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in
governing the United States of America, which had been operating
under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great
Britain. Although the Convention was purportedly intended only to
revise the Articles of Confederation, the intention from the outset of
many of its proponents, chief among them James Madison and
Alexander Hamilton, was to create a new government rather than fix
the existing one. The delegates elected George Washington to preside
over the convention. The result of the Convention was the United
States Constitution, placing the Convention among the most significant
events in the history of the United States.

Virginia Plan-was a proposal by Virginia delegates, drafted by James

Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the
Constitutional Convention of 1787.[2][3] The Virginia Plan was notable
for its role in setting the overall agenda for debate in the convention
and, in particular, for setting forth the idea of population-weighted
representation in the proposed national legislature. instead a
legislative branch consisting of two chambers (bicameral legislature),
with the dual principles of rotation in office and recall applied to the
lower house of the national legislature.[5] Each of the states would be
represented in proportion to their “Quotas of contribution, or to the
number of free inhabitants.”[6] States with a large population, like
Virginia (which was the most populous state at the time), would thus
have more representatives than smaller states. Large states supported
this plan, and smaller states, which feared losing substantial power in
the national government, generally opposed it, preferring an
alternative put forward by the New Jersey delegation on June 15. The
New Jersey Plan proposed a single-chamber legislature in which each
state, regardless of size, would have one vote, as under the Articles of
Confederation. In the end, the convention settled on the Connecticut
Compromise, creating a House of Representatives apportioned by
population and a Senate in which each state is equally represented.

New Jersey Plan-(also known as the Small State or Paterson Plan) was a
proposal for the structure of the United States Government proposed
by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787.
[1] The plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan's call for two
houses of Congress, both elected with apportionment according to
population or direct taxes paid.[2] The less populous states were
adamantly opposed to giving most of the control of the national
government to the larger states, and so proposed an alternate plan
that would have given one vote per state for equal representation
under one legislative body (i.e., a Unicameral Legislature). This was a
compromise for the issue of the houses. This plan was opposed by
James Madison and Edmund Randolph. When the Connecticut
Compromise (or "Great Compromise") was constructed, the New Jersey
Plan's legislative body was used as the model for the United States
Senate. Under the New Jersey Plan, the organization of the legislature
was similar to that of the modern day United Nations and other like
institutions. This position reflected the belief that the states were
independent entities, and, as they entered the United States of
America freely and individually, so they remained. The New Jersey plan
also gave power to regulate trade and to raise money by taxing foreign
goods.
Ultimately, the New Jersey Plan was rejected as a basis for a new
constitution. The Virginia Plan was used, but some ideas from the New
Jersey plan were added. In the Senate each state would be represented
equally while the House of Representatives votes would be distributed
according to population.

Great (CT) Compromise-Sherman's Compromise) was an agreement

between large and small states reached during the Constitutional
Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and
representation that each state would have under the United States
Constitution. It proposed a bicameral legislature, resulting in the
current United States Senate and House of Representatives. In favor of
the larger states, membership in the lower house, as in the Virginia
Plan, was to be allocated in proportion to state population and
candidates were to be nominated and elected by the people of each
state. A census of all inhabitants of the United States was to be taken
every 10 years. Also all bills for raising taxes, spending or
appropriating money, and setting the salaries of Federal officers were
to originate in the lower house and be unamendable by the upper
house. In exchange, membership in the upper house, however, was
more similar to the New Jersey Plan and was to be allocated two seats
to each state, regardless of size, with members being chosen by the
state legislatures. Members of the Upper House, or Senators, were
elected by the State Legislature until the ratification of the
Seventeenth Amendment, which called for the direct election of
Senators by the people.
The compromise passed after eleven days of debate by one vote—five
to four.

3/5ths Clause (Compromise)-a compromise between Southern and

Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in
which three-fifths of the population of slaves would be counted for
enumeration purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the
apportionment of the members of the United States House of
Representatives. It was proposed by delegates James Wilson and Roger
Sherman.
Delegates opposed to slavery generally wished to count only the free
inhabitants of each state. Delegates supportive of slavery, on the other
hand, generally wanted to count slaves in their actual numbers. Since
slaves could not vote, slaveholders would thus have the benefit of
increased representation in the House and the Electoral College. The
final compromise of counting "all other persons" as only three-fifths of
their actual numbers reduced the power of the slave states relative to
the original southern proposals, but increased it over the northern
position.

The Federalist (Papers) -

a series of 85 articles or essays advocating the ratification of the
United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were
published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet
between October 1787 and August 1788. A compilation of these and
eight others, called The Federalist; or, The New Constitution, was
published in two volumes in 1788 by J. and A. McLean.[1] The series'
correct title is The Federalist; the title The Federalist Papers did not
emerge until the twentieth century.
The Federalist remains a primary source for interpretation of the U.S.
Constitution, as the essays outline a lucid and compelling version of
the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government.
[2] The authors of The Federalist wanted both to influence the vote in
favor of ratification and to shape future interpretations of the
Constitution. According to historian Richard B. Morris, they are an
"incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political
science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any
later American writer."