1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,319 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Flowing bogabam here. Sometimes we talk about the 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: Constitution of the United States, the document that lays out 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: the law of the land for Americans, as if it 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: were beforged by gods on Mount Olympus and drifted down 6 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: from the heavens, fully formed into George Washington's own hands, 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: a flawless and sublime document. The truth about the making 8 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: of the Constitution is that it was a total mess, 9 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: like a real Housewives level mess. It took an unbelievable 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: amount of heavy lifting to get it into working order, 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: and even after it became the supreme law of the 12 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: land in nine it's been amended twenty seven times, with 13 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: one amendment, the twenty one repealing a previous amendment the 14 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: eighteen and we're still in discussion about whether this eighteenth 15 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: century document can meet the needs of twenty first century people. 16 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: But as flawed as it may be, the Constitution is 17 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: pretty impressive considering its creation was required to fix the 18 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: major weaknesses of its predecessor, the Articles of Confederation before 19 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: the Article. This episode is based on how Stuff Work 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 1: spoke with Stephen Phillips, a professor of political science at 21 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: Clemson University. He said the United States first Constitution, the 22 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: Articles of Confederation, was fatally flawed from the moment it 23 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: was adopted. It created a national government with very little power, 24 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: that was essentially impossible to change, and that consisted of 25 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: only a legislature, no independent executive or judiciary branches. The 26 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: government set up under the Articles of Confederation was so 27 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: bad that it only lasted a decade, and it wasn't 28 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 1: so much a government as a firm league of friendship 29 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: between the thirteen original states, which could all vote on 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: issues that affected the collective, but decisions were only made 31 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: when at least nine of the states voted the same way. 32 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: And the national government couldn't collect taxes, which meant it 33 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: couldn't pay off its war debt, leaving that to the states. 34 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: It was a dicey time in American history. Phillips explained 35 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: economic and security crises mounted throughout the seventeen eighties, showing 36 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 1: the national government was simply unable to act to protect 37 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: the national interest. Political leaders recognized that the country needed 38 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: a stronger national government, which meant a revised constitution. Amid 39 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: the background of political crisis, the Confederation Congress authorized a 40 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: convention of delegates from the States to debate amendments to 41 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: the Articles of Confederation to create a stronger national government 42 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: with greater power. The important question for the delegates is 43 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: what this government would look like and what powers it 44 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: would have. Enter the Constitutional Convention of seventeen eighty seven, 45 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: wherein the States sent a total of fifty five delegates 46 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: to meet in Philadelphia to address the problems with the Articles, 47 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: but ended up completely overhauling the U s government instead. 48 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: It started with James Madison, a member of the Virginia 49 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: House of Legates, who introduced the Virginia Plan, which proposed 50 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: a national government with three branches, a legislature, executive, and 51 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: judiciary that was also much more powerful. A Congress would 52 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,359 Speaker 1: have the power to levy taxes and provide for a 53 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: national system of defense. The Phillips said. A key part 54 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,679 Speaker 1: of the Virginia Plan was a legislature with two different chambers, 55 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: a lower House and Upper House, where the number of 56 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 1: representatives each state had would be determined by its population 57 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: or wealth of The larger the population, the greater the 58 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 1: representation it would have. However, states with smaller populations were 59 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: not keen on the idea of a legislature where representation 60 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: in both houses would be based on population, as it 61 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: would threaten their independence and power, so in response to 62 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: the Virginia Plan, the small states proposed the New Jersey Plan. 63 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: This plan, written primarily by William Patterson, voted to keep 64 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: the single house legislature with equal state representation from the 65 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: Articles of Confederation, while adding a national executive and a 66 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: judiciary and expanding the power of the national government. A 67 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: Congress would have power to levy taxes and regulate interstate commerce. 68 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: In this way, the Constitutional Convention of seven turned into 69 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: a grudge match between the large states and the small states. 70 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: After a few days of debate, the New Jersey Plan 71 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: was rejected. Even a few people who helped Patterson write 72 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 1: the plan voted against it. But the small states were 73 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: so unhappy with the failure of the New Jersey Plan 74 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: and the legislature offered by the Virginia Plan that there 75 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: was a real possibility they would leave the Constitutional Convention. 76 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: At this point, it became clear that a compromise on 77 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 1: representation was needed between the large and small states. After 78 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: much debate, delegates agreed to the Connecticut Compromise introduced by Connecticuts. 79 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth Philips said the Connecticut Compromise 80 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: proposed a national legislature wherein the lower house representation would 81 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: be based on population and the upper house states would 82 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: have an equal vote. The Connecticut Compromise struck a middle 83 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: ground that was able to win support from both large 84 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: and small states. However, the Virginia Plan remained influential at 85 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: the Constitutional Convention and beyond, and is still considered the 86 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: blueprint for the Constitution. But James Madison didn't write the 87 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: Constitution alone. The main parts of his Virginia Plan were adopted. 88 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: A much stronger national government with the power to tacks 89 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 1: and provide for the national defense, and a legislature with 90 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 1: two houses plus a national executive and judiciary that share power. 91 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 1: After the Connecticut Compromise, there was much debate at the 92 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: Convention surrounding what these individual parts would look like. There 93 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: was a lot to hammer out around how we would 94 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: elect the president, the independence of the judiciary, and states 95 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: rights and representation in the legislature, and a lot of 96 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: lesser known delegates one on some critical issues. The Philips said, 97 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: there's a reason why equal state representation in the Senate, 98 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: an idea Madison fought for tooth and nail became not 99 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 1: only the conventions great is to compromise, but now the 100 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: only permanent, unamendable part of the Constitution. The Constitution was 101 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: written through collaboration and compromise. No delegate achieved everything they wanted, 102 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: but that did not stop them from working hard to 103 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: create a more perfect union. Today's episode is based on 104 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: the article The Virginia Plan versus the New Jersey Plan, 105 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: a constitutional grudge match on how stuff works dot com, 106 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: written by Jesselyn Shields. Brain Stuff is production of I 107 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and partnership of how stuff Works dot Com, 108 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: and it's produced by Tyler Playing and Ramsey Youn. Four 109 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 110 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.