James Madison's Contributions To The Constitution

1. A) James Madison was given the title “Father of the Constitution” because of his success in creating and writing the constitution. However he was not the sole creator of the constitution, but he was one of the main contributors to the document. He is widely known for the Virginia Plan, which brought forth many ideas that would be used in the Constitution. James Madison was such a huge contributor that in The Summer of 1787, it says “Never missing a day of the convention, never leaving chamber for more than ‘a casual fraction of an hour,’ Madison worked on his notes every evening throughout the sultry summer” (Stewart 48). In addition to his as his incredible strive for excellence, Madison was also the first delegate to arrive at the Convention
that did not already live in Philadelphia. This says a lot about his character, and how dedicated he was to this cause. Madison even recognized issues like Shay’s Rebellion that were created by the Articles of Confederation.
He then went to represent Virginia. For example, in The Summer of 1787 it says “They agreed on the solution. Power must be taken from the states and given to a national government. To achieve that solution, the delegates would have to navigate through state jealousies, competing economic interests, and the clashing egos of individual delegates” (Stewart 25). This statement demonstrates Madison’s very real concern for the country because he took the time to concentrate on how the conflict in the nation needed to be resolved before going to the Convention.

B) These people that are also deserving of recognition for their contributions to the Constitution were James Wilson and John Rutledge. John Rutledge was truly a great asset the creation of the Constitution.
He was the leader of the delegates from South Carolina that attended the Convention. Rutledge was a huge contender for slavery, and worked in alliance with James Wilson. Rutledge was also a key member of a committee whose had the job to assign representatives to every state. “The fifth member, the ubiquitous Rutledge of South Carolina, would be the champion committee member of the summer, serving on five (and chairing three) before the Convention was done” (Stewart 116). In addition, he took part in another committee that reconsidered the allocations of representatives in each state. However his biggest contribution to the Constitution was serving as the chairman on the committee that would build the Constitution. “Spurred by Rutledge, they reconceived the powers of the national government, redefined the powers of the states, and adopted fresh concessions on that most explosive issue, slavery. It is not too much to say that Rutledge and his committee hijacked the Constitution” (Stewart 165). James Wilson was of great contributor to the Constitution in many ways as well. James Wilson assisted in defeating the New Jersey plan. “The alliance formed by Wilson and Rutledge had defeated the New Jersey Plan” (Stewart 103). Wilson was also repeatedly speaking and sharing concepts and ideas to help solve this nation’s issues. In addition he was included in the Committee of eleven. “James Wilson for a strong central government and hard work” (Stewart 180). James Wilson definitely displayed leadership qualities of at the convention.

C) Charles Pinckney contributed a unique assistance to developing the Constitution. “Young Charles arrived in Philadelphia with a draft constitution, something not even Madison had attempted” (Stewart 40). He came to the Convention ready to assist in writing the great Constitution. Additionally, as Madison’s Virginia Plan did not mention slavery, Pinckney was one of the few delegates to address this issue. “General Pinckney’s contributions to the Constitution largely involved defending slavery” (Stewart 40). Pinckney was also a delegate for developing a new charter of government. He made plans for this new and improved government that were soon to be used by the Committee of Detail. Even though his contributions were masked by his seeking for glory and credit for his accomplishments, he was a wonderful asset in writing the constitution.
2.
A) The three-fifths compromise made by James Wilson was to help the southern states maintain slavery. This was only as long as the southern states fought for the Northwest Ordinance, and proportional representation. The three-fifths compromise is one of the most well-known compromises. This compromise had the notion that slaves would count as three fifths of a person. This compromise would settle the debated issue over whether slaves were to be considered a human or property. In addition, it allowed the southern states to have a more proportional representation of their population. In The Summer of 1787, it states “Wilson’s new resolution required the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives on the basis of an equitable ratio of representation in proportion to the whole number of white & other free citizens & inhabitants . . . and three-fifths of all other persons not comprehended in the foregoing description, except Indians not paying taxes. . .” (Stewart 78). The compromise created an alliance with the large states and the south. This alliance not only assisted Wilson with his votes, but protected slavery for the south. Lastly, the Northwest Ordinance prohibited slavery in the new western territories. The new western territories were starting to become more popular, and a choice would have to be made on the issue of slavery laws would be. When Congressman Nathan Dane proposed the prohibition of slavery in these territories, many slave states agreed to the
article. The slave states feared the Northwest Ordinance because of the prohibition of slavery. But, the sixth article included a “fugitive slave provision” that would require the return of escaped slaves to their owners. This prevented slaves from gaining freedom from their owners.

B) The constitution had to include compromises for slavery due to the southern states. The southern states were completely reliant on slavery. For example, the author states “For the southerners, no goal was greater than the protection of slavery. Without such protection, southern states might not join the new government. At the very least, southern delegates would face ostracism and denunciation if they brought home a Constitution that did not protect slavery. Careers would be ruined” (Stewart 67). The South’s business depended on that produce that was created. It was apparent that the delegates from the south would not be willing to sign and approve a constitution that did not protect slavery. In addition, without the three-fifths compromise the South would not have a proportional representation of their population in congress. The northern states had a numerical superiority to the southern states in congress by three states. To get rid of the imbalance of voting in congress, the southern states would need to count slaves as at least part of their population to gather more equal representation of themselves. Without these compromises the constitution would never have passed.

C) The northern states did not provide a substantial argument to protect their anti-slavery views because of the southern states threats to not participate in the Convention and Union. Without the South being part of the Convention and signing the constitution, there would be no point in even having a constitution. On a few different occasions, people brought up the argument to abolish slavery. However the Convention never took their arguments into consideration. For example, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and the New York Manumission Society each planned to make the Convention abolish slavery

D) There were many consequences from the Constitutional compromises over slavery. The most well-known consequence would be the Civil War, which was between the North and the South. The North wanted all slavery to be abolished and the South wanted to maintain their slavery ways. This war would never have occurred if it had not been for the decision to not declare the abolition of slavery in the Constitution. The northern states and the southern states were opposed to each other due to the initial slavery issues.
3. A) Three ways that delegates limited democracy were the Senate, Electoral College, and the state legislature. The Electoral College limited democracy because having the election done by electors meant that the people that occupied the country would not have the power to vote. The people vote and based on the votes, electors are chosen to vote on the president. This limits the people to be able to directly vote for the president. For example, it states that “the President should be chosen by the legislature” (Stewart 213). The Senate limited democracy for many reasons. One reason is because a lot of the time the Senate would end up electing the President due to the way the Electoral System works. Additionally, the Great Compromise caused the Senate to provide each state with the same amount of Senators, regardless of the state’s population size. Considering the variety of population among the states, this gives power to the state and not every citizen would be represented equally. With that, each state would be equal. “Each state would have as many electors as its total number of senators and members of the House of Representatives” (Stewart 213). Lastly, the state legislature limited democracy due to its power in the national government. The citizens of the country did not have power in the national government, only a small portion of power specifically to their state government. The state legislature held all ties to the national government.

B) The president is elected through electors from each state. Every state has the same amount of electors as the amount of senators in their House of Representatives. The states all have their own legislature that decides how to choose the state’s electors. Every elector casts two ballots. However, at least one of their ballots has to involve a person from another state. The person that concluded with the highest total number of electoral votes would be the president of the United States, but only if they had a majority. The person that finished with the second highest total amount of votes would be the vice president of the United States.

C) The founders feared the rule of many for various reasons. “Others complained that popular election would ensure bad presidents, or that they came always from a populous state. Mason insisted that the people could not be trusted. Popular elections are ‘unnatural,’ he said, like ‘refer a trial of colors to a blind man’” (Stewart 155). It was feared that the people of the country would always vote for a president from their state. Having states with a larger population compared to the others was thought to cause presidents to come from one state due to the large amounts of votes that would come from that state. The founders feared an unfair and unjust voting system for the new president.

D) These reasons for fearing the “rule of many” definitely still exist today. This is made apparent due to the resistance to change anything in the constitution. For example, only the seventeenth amendment was created to provide direct election of the senators by popular vote. This granted people a small portion of power. The Constitution should not be amended to remove these limitations because the country is facing many issues currently.
4. A) The founders created the Electoral College because it was a compromise for the arguments over election by congress and election by the popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College would allow citizens to vote, but not directly for the president. They would vote for their electors that represented their state “Having the number of electors equal the total number of all senators and congressmen would please the large states; it also gave extra electors to slave states through the three-fifths ratio. To gratify small states, each state cast an equal vote when the Senate decided elections” (Stewart 214). This passage from The Summer of 1776 demonstrates that the small staves, slave states, and large states, would all benefit from this voting system.

B) One argument that was put into motion to keep in mind the Electoral College system was provided by the small states. They believed that this system was the only way they could keep their power in electing the president. The book states “James Wilson replied that the electors would know the candidates. ‘Continental characters will multiply as we more and more coalesce,’” (Stewart 214). Essentially James Wilson was defending the Electoral College when the accusation was made that the electors would not be familiar to candidates and the election would result in being performed by the Senate. When it was argued that the vice president should not preside over the Senate, it was countered with the reality that the vice president would make no change.

C) There were many arguments in favor of changing the Electoral College System. Most of these arguments contained the idea that the Senate had too much power. For example, it is stated that “In most elections, the delegates thought, the electors, being ‘strangers to the several candidates,’ would winnow the field of candidates down to five; the Senate then would choose the president. ‘Nineteen times in twenty’” (pg. 214). The argument is saying the Senate will pretty much always have the power in electing the President due to the way the Electoral College System works. Wilson also argues that the Senate’s power in approving treaties, impeachments, and approving executive and judicial appointment will cause the President to not lead the people. He says “the President will not be the man of the people as he ought to be, but the minion of the Senate” (pg. 214). Another argument to modify the Electoral College was that the choice of president should be changed to the House of Representatives to take power away from the Senate.