What were the two major conflicts that needed to be resolved at the Constitutional Convention?
Asked by: Anderson Schmidt MD | Last update: May 3, 2026Score: 4.5/5 (18 votes)
The two major conflicts at the Constitutional Convention were representation in the legislature (resolved by the Great Compromise, creating a bicameral Congress with proportional House and equal Senate) and slavery (resolved by the Three-Fifths Compromise, counting slaves as 3/5ths for representation and taxation, and the Slave Trade Compromise, allowing the trade until 1808). Debates also centered on federal vs. state power and executive authority, but representation and slavery were the most significant roadblocks.
What was the major issue that needed to be resolved during the Constitutional Convention?
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 were the major debates during the Constitutional Convention and how were they resolved?
How the Articles of Confederation failed and delegates met to create a new constitution. 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 resolved the conflict between the two plans of government proposed during the Constitutional Convention?
The Great Compromise eventually passed by a single vote. In the end, Madison and Wilson won the fight over representation in the House, but they suffered a major defeat over representation in the Senate.
What were two issues at the Constitutional Convention?
The legislative branch would make laws, the executive branch would provide leadership and enforce laws, and the judicial branch would explain and interpret laws. Like the issue of political representation, commerce and slavery were two issues that divided the Northern and Southern states.
Constitutional Convention: Conflicts and Compromises
What was the biggest problem the Constitutional Convention needed to solve?
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. The states, in turn, found themselves beholden to the lenders who had bought up their war bonds.
What were the two main compromises of the Constitutional Convention?
Key Takeaways
The Great Compromise led to a two-chamber Congress with both equal and population-based representation. The Three-Fifths Compromise allowed every five enslaved people to be counted as three individuals for representation.
What was the primary cause of conflict and debate over ratifying the Constitution?
One faction opposed the Constitution because they thought stronger government threatened the sovereignty of the states. Others argued that a new centralized government would have all the characteristics of the despotism of Great Britain they had fought so hard to remove themselves from.
What were the two plans that were proposed at the Constitutional Convention?
Several broad outlines were proposed and debated, notably Madison's Virginia Plan and William Paterson's New Jersey Plan.
Which Constitutional Convention proposal resolved the conflict between supporters of greater national power and advocates of greater state sovereignty?
After a long and bitter debate, the convention passed what would be later called the Great Compromise, or Connecticut Compromise, which apportioned the House according to each state's population, in the interest of the large states, and the Senate equally among the states, in the interest of the small states.
What were the major debates in the Constituent Assembly?
Objective and Preamble of the Constitution:
One of the first major debates was on the “Objectives Resolution”, presented by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on December 13, 1946. The debate focused on defining the purpose of the Constitution and the nature of the Indian state.
What was the outcome of the great debate?
The debate had repercussions at the polls in 1952 and helped sweep the Republicans into office. The ultimate outcome of the debate was to bring the conservative arguments to the fore and remold American foreign policy so that it conformed to those views.
What two elements relating to representation in the national government were most contentious?
The most contentious elements regarding representation during the Constitutional Convention were how states would be represented in the national government and how officials should be selected. This led to the Great Compromise forming a bicameral legislature and the agreement on popular elections for the House.
What were the two major debates 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 does "ratified" mean?
To ratify means to approve or enact a legally binding act that would not otherwise be binding in the absence of such approval. In the constitutional context, nations may ratify an amendment to an existing or adoption of a new constitution.
Which issue was resolved by the Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention of 1787?
The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or Sherman Compromise, was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution.
Which two plans at the Constitutional Convention addressed the issue of representation in Congress and led to the Connecticut Compromise or Great Compromise?
The Great Compromise combined elements of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. It decided on a bicameral, or two-house, legislative body with proportional representation (representation based on population) in one house and equal representation (representation based on state) in the other.
What were the two proposed plans for the Constitution agreed on?
Explanation. Both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, which were proposed during the Constitutional Convention, agreed on the idea that the new government should have three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Which phrase describes a compromise that was required for the Constitution to be ratified by states with smaller numbers of Americans eligible to vote?
Small states, fearing domination by larger, more populous states, sought guarantees of equal representation. The framers of the Constitution addressed this through several compromises. A bicameral legislature, established by the Great Compromise (also known as the Connecticut Compromise), was a key element.
What was the main issue of debate between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists over the Constitution?
Federalists believed that a stronger national government would improve relationships between states and help create, as the Constitution stated, a “more perfect union.” Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, worried that a federal government with more power would be prone to tyranny.
What was the primary conflict at the Constitutional Convention?
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 were the major arguments in support of the Constitution given by the Federalists?
The Federalists were led by men such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, the Federalists argued that the Constitution provided a necessary framework for a strong, effective central government capable of unifying the nation, protecting against foreign threats, and managing domestic affairs.
What were the two sides of the Electoral College compromise?
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The Founding Fathers established it in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
What were the most divisive issues the Constitutional Convention faced and what compromises did the delegates reach to solve them?
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 difference between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey plan?
The Virginia Plan, written by James Madison, favored larger states by proposing representation based on population. William Paterson's New Jersey Plan advocated for equal representation regardless of state size. Both plans agreed on separating government into three branches with checks and balances.