What was the most controversial issue at the Constitutional Convention?

Asked by: Megane Eichmann Jr.  |  Last update: February 22, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (36 votes)

The most controversial issue at the Constitutional Convention was the issue of representation. How would states be represented in the legislative branch? Would it be based on population, or would each state have equal representation? The latter question also tied into equality and slavery.

What was the big issue at the Constitutional Convention?

The major debates were over representation in Congress, the powers of the president, how to elect the president (Electoral College), slave trade, and a bill of rights.

What was the most serious disagreement at the Constitutional Convention?

Explanation: The biggest disagreement at the Constitutional Convention was the issue of representation. The delegates were divided on how states should be represented in the new government.

What were the three major problems of the Constitutional Convention?

Debates erupted over representation in Congress, over slavery, and over the new executive branch.

What was the biggest problem the Constitutional Convention needed to solve?

The delegates arrived at the convention with instructions to revise the Articles of Confederation. The biggest problem the convention needed to solve was the federal government's inability to levy taxes. That weakness meant that the burden of paying back debt from the Revolutionary War fell on the states.

How were issues of representation addressed at the Constitutional Convention?

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What was the biggest problem at the Constitutional Convention?

Federal Powers. A central issue at the Convention was whether the federal government or the states would have more power. Many delegates believed that the federal government should be able to overrule state laws, but others feared that a strong federal government would oppress their citizens.

What was the most controversial and key issue at the Constitutional Convention?

The most divisive of those issues—those involving the apportionment of representation in the national legislature, the powers and mode of election of the chief executive, and the place of the institution of slavery in the new continental body politic—would change in fundamental ways the shape of the document that would ...

What was the most troubling question of the Constitutional Convention?

When delegates met at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, one of the most troublesome questions was what to do about slavery. Not whether it should be abolished, because even the most vehement abolitionist recognized this was neither the time nor the place for that fight.

Why was the Constitution a controversial document?

The Anti-Federalists fought hard against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and it lacked a bill of rights. The ratification campaign was a nail-biter.

What were the two central issues discussed at the Constitutional Convention?

Of all the debates during the Summer of 1787, the most contentious involved two major issues: Representation & Slavery. In this video, we briefly discuss how these debates unfolded and the Framers' compromise for each.

What is considered to be the most controversial rule of the Constitutional Convention?

The Supremacy Clause generated significant controversy during debates over the Constitution's ratification. Anti-Federalist opponents of the Constitution argued that the Clause would make the national government overly powerful and infringe on state sovereignty.

What were the three major equality issues at the Constitutional Convention?

What were the three major equality issues at the Constitutional Convention? How were they resolved? The three major equality issues were equality and representation, slavery, and political equality.

Why did the Constitutional Convention fail?

The central government couldn't collect taxes to fund its operations. The Confederation relied on the voluntary efforts of the states to send tax money to the central government. Lacking funds, the central government couldn't maintain an effective military or back its own paper currency.

What major thing happened at the Constitutional Convention?

Known as the Constitutional Convention, at this meeting it was decided that the best solution to the young country's problems was to set aside the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution. George Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention.

Why was there no bill of rights in the Constitution?

James Madison and other supporters of the Constitution argued that a bill of rights wasn't necessary because - “the government can only exert the powers specified by the Constitution.” But they agreed to consider adding amendments when ratification was in danger in the key state of Massachusetts.

What was the most serious task that the convention faced?

What was the most serious task that the convention faced? Was how to achieve a balance between Liberty and Authority.

What was the biggest strongest argument against the Constitution?

The Anti- Federalists claimed the Constitution gave the central government too much power, and without a Bill of Rights the people would be at risk of oppression.

Why were slaves counted as 3/5 of a whole person?

Viewed the opposite way, by including three-fifths of slaves in the legislative apportionment (even though they had no voting rights), the Three-fifths Compromise provided additional representation in the House of Representatives of slave states compared to the free states, if representation had been considered based ...

What is the most controversial amendment in the Constitution?

14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (1868)

What was the biggest controversy at the Constitutional Convention?

1. Representation in Congress. Representation was one of the most contentious issues at the Constitutional Convention. Larger states favored representation based on population, believing it fairer that more populous states have greater influence.

Which of the following was the most controversial issue during the Constitutional Convention?

The most controversial issue at the Constitutional Convention was the issue of representation. How would states be represented in the legislative branch? Would it be based on population, or would each state have equal representation? The latter question also tied into equality and slavery.

What were the big three disagreements at the Constitutional Convention?

The disagreement that was NOT one of the major issues at the Constitutional Convention was whether the courts should have the power of judicial review. The biggest debates revolved around slavery, voting rights, and state representation in Congress.

What state did not show up to the convention?

New York: July 26, 1788. North Carolina: November 21, 1789. Rhode Island: May 29, 1790 (Rhode Island did not hold a Constitutional Convention.)

Does the Constitution say we have the right to overthrow the government?

That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

What are 5 facts about the Constitutional Convention?

  • Both men and women participated as delegates. ...
  • Many delegates fought in the Revolutionary War. ...
  • No delegates served in the state government. ...
  • More than half of the delegates were lawyers. ...
  • Most of the delegates were wealthy landowners. ...
  • Twenty-five delegates held enslaved people. ...
  • The average age of the delegates was 29.