What was the most troubling question of the Constitutional Convention?
Asked by: Cullen Adams | Last update: May 6, 2025Score: 5/5 (74 votes)
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.
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 difficult question facing the delegates at the Constitutional Convention?
The key issue that would nearly tear the convention apart was representation. The delegates had to decide how many representatives each state would have. Ideas from both large and small states abounded, but the states would need an ingenious compromise to make the new Constitution palatable to everyone.
What was the most debated issue at the Constitutional Convention?
The most contentious of the Resolves declared that representation in the national congress would be based on wealth (as reflected in the taxes it paid) or the state's non-slave population. This raised both eyebrows and tempers as it was a concept that greatly favored large states like Virginia.
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.
The Slavery Question at the Constitutional Convention
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 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.
What were the arguments against the Constitution?
Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government, while taking too much power away from state and local governments. Many felt that the federal government would be too far removed to represent the average citizen.
Was slavery discussed at the Constitutional Convention?
Even many of the 25 delegates who owned slaves spoke against the institution and wished a solution could be found to end it. In one of the Convention's more heated moments, George Mason, owner of over 200 slaves, made an impassioned speech on the evils of the institution, saying it made “petty tyrants” of all masters.
Which three very difficult issues confronted the Constitutional Convention?
It advocated for a unicameral Congress, maintaining the one-state, one-vote principle of the Confederation. It favored the smaller states. What thorny issues confronted the Constitutional Convention? Representation, slavery, and commerce.
What was the main issue of disagreement between the delegates at the Constitutional Convention?
One major point of contention was the issue of representation, with delegates from smaller states wanting equal representation for all states, while delegates from larger states wanted representation based on population.
What were the problems with the Constitution of 1787?
It is no secret that the Constitution signed on that fateful day of September 17, 1787 was highly flawed. It denied women and minorities, especially black individuals, their basic human rights for decades to come. It protected slavery. It denied civil liberties that should have been guaranteed to all.
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 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.
What was the greatest concern of the opponents to the Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists feared that the new Constitution gave the national government too much power. And that this new government—led by a new group of distant, out-of-touch political elites—would: Seize all political power. Swallow up the states—the governments that were closest to the people themselves.
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.
What was the most serious criticism against the Constitution?
Five of their most significant objections to the Constitution are summarized in the excerpts that follow: that replacement of the Articles of Confederation was unnecessary; that the new government would give rise to a privileged aristocracy; that a stronger central government would obliterate the states; that a large, ...
What was the main issue being debated 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 difficult issue to be resolved at the Constitutional Convention?
The Convention was not in session. A committee met, seeking compromise on the Convention's most difficult issue: whether states should have an equal vote in the legislature, or whether more populous states should have more representation and power than the small states.
Who is the father of the constitution?
James Madison, America's fourth President (1809-1817), made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.”
Why was it very difficult to get laws passed?
The framers deliberately made it hard for Congress to make law because they were giving Congress all sorts of new powers that it didn't have under the Articles of Confederation, and they wanted to protect the states and protect federalism by making it hard for Congress to make law.
What were the main arguments for and against the Constitution?
Anti-Federalists argued for the value of limited central government, whereas Federalists maintained that natural rights to life, liberty, and property would be best protected under a strong central government.
Why did the New Constitution not abolish slavery?
The framers of the Constitution believed that concessions on slavery were the price for the support of southern delegates for a strong central government. They were convinced that if the Constitution restricted the slave trade, South Carolina and Georgia would refuse to join the Union.
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.