WEBVTT - How Did a Grudge Match Between States Create the U.S. Constitution?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Flowing bogabam here. Sometimes we talk about the

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<v Speaker 1>Constitution of the United States, the document that lays out

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<v Speaker 1>the law of the land for Americans, as if it

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<v Speaker 1>were beforged by gods on Mount Olympus and drifted down

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<v Speaker 1>from the heavens, fully formed into George Washington's own hands,

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<v Speaker 1>a flawless and sublime document. The truth about the making

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<v Speaker 1>of the Constitution is that it was a total mess,

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<v Speaker 1>like a real Housewives level mess. It took an unbelievable

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<v Speaker 1>amount of heavy lifting to get it into working order,

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<v Speaker 1>and even after it became the supreme law of the

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<v Speaker 1>land in nine it's been amended twenty seven times, with

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<v Speaker 1>one amendment, the twenty one repealing a previous amendment the

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen and we're still in discussion about whether this eighteenth

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<v Speaker 1>century document can meet the needs of twenty first century people.

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<v Speaker 1>But as flawed as it may be, the Constitution is

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<v Speaker 1>pretty impressive considering its creation was required to fix the

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<v Speaker 1>major weaknesses of its predecessor, the Articles of Confederation before

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<v Speaker 1>the Article. This episode is based on how Stuff Work

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<v Speaker 1>spoke with Stephen Phillips, a professor of political science at

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<v Speaker 1>Clemson University. He said the United States first Constitution, the

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<v Speaker 1>Articles of Confederation, was fatally flawed from the moment it

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<v Speaker 1>was adopted. It created a national government with very little power,

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<v Speaker 1>that was essentially impossible to change, and that consisted of

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<v Speaker 1>only a legislature, no independent executive or judiciary branches. The

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<v Speaker 1>government set up under the Articles of Confederation was so

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<v Speaker 1>bad that it only lasted a decade, and it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>so much a government as a firm league of friendship

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<v Speaker 1>between the thirteen original states, which could all vote on

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<v Speaker 1>issues that affected the collective, but decisions were only made

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<v Speaker 1>when at least nine of the states voted the same way.

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<v Speaker 1>And the national government couldn't collect taxes, which meant it

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't pay off its war debt, leaving that to the states.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a dicey time in American history. Phillips explained

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<v Speaker 1>economic and security crises mounted throughout the seventeen eighties, showing

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<v Speaker 1>the national government was simply unable to act to protect

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<v Speaker 1>the national interest. Political leaders recognized that the country needed

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<v Speaker 1>a stronger national government, which meant a revised constitution. Amid

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<v Speaker 1>the background of political crisis, the Confederation Congress authorized a

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<v Speaker 1>convention of delegates from the States to debate amendments to

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<v Speaker 1>the Articles of Confederation to create a stronger national government

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<v Speaker 1>with greater power. The important question for the delegates is

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<v Speaker 1>what this government would look like and what powers it

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<v Speaker 1>would have. Enter the Constitutional Convention of seventeen eighty seven,

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<v Speaker 1>wherein the States sent a total of fifty five delegates

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<v Speaker 1>to meet in Philadelphia to address the problems with the Articles,

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<v Speaker 1>but ended up completely overhauling the U s government instead.

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<v Speaker 1>It started with James Madison, a member of the Virginia

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<v Speaker 1>House of Legates, who introduced the Virginia Plan, which proposed

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<v Speaker 1>a national government with three branches, a legislature, executive, and

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<v Speaker 1>judiciary that was also much more powerful. A Congress would

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<v Speaker 1>have the power to levy taxes and provide for a

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<v Speaker 1>national system of defense. The Phillips said. A key part

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<v Speaker 1>of the Virginia Plan was a legislature with two different chambers,

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<v Speaker 1>a lower House and Upper House, where the number of

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<v Speaker 1>representatives each state had would be determined by its population

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<v Speaker 1>or wealth of The larger the population, the greater the

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<v Speaker 1>representation it would have. However, states with smaller populations were

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<v Speaker 1>not keen on the idea of a legislature where representation

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<v Speaker 1>in both houses would be based on population, as it

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<v Speaker 1>would threaten their independence and power, so in response to

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<v Speaker 1>the Virginia Plan, the small states proposed the New Jersey Plan.

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<v Speaker 1>This plan, written primarily by William Patterson, voted to keep

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<v Speaker 1>the single house legislature with equal state representation from the

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<v Speaker 1>Articles of Confederation, while adding a national executive and a

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<v Speaker 1>judiciary and expanding the power of the national government. A

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<v Speaker 1>Congress would have power to levy taxes and regulate interstate commerce.

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<v Speaker 1>In this way, the Constitutional Convention of seven turned into

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<v Speaker 1>a grudge match between the large states and the small states.

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<v Speaker 1>After a few days of debate, the New Jersey Plan

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<v Speaker 1>was rejected. Even a few people who helped Patterson write

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<v Speaker 1>the plan voted against it. But the small states were

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<v Speaker 1>so unhappy with the failure of the New Jersey Plan

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<v Speaker 1>and the legislature offered by the Virginia Plan that there

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<v Speaker 1>was a real possibility they would leave the Constitutional Convention.

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<v Speaker 1>At this point, it became clear that a compromise on

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<v Speaker 1>representation was needed between the large and small states. After

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<v Speaker 1>much debate, delegates agreed to the Connecticut Compromise introduced by Connecticuts.

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<v Speaker 1>Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth Philips said the Connecticut Compromise

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<v Speaker 1>proposed a national legislature wherein the lower house representation would

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<v Speaker 1>be based on population and the upper house states would

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<v Speaker 1>have an equal vote. The Connecticut Compromise struck a middle

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<v Speaker 1>ground that was able to win support from both large

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<v Speaker 1>and small states. However, the Virginia Plan remained influential at

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<v Speaker 1>the Constitutional Convention and beyond, and is still considered the

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<v Speaker 1>blueprint for the Constitution. But James Madison didn't write the

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<v Speaker 1>Constitution alone. The main parts of his Virginia Plan were adopted.

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<v Speaker 1>A much stronger national government with the power to tacks

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<v Speaker 1>and provide for the national defense, and a legislature with

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<v Speaker 1>two houses plus a national executive and judiciary that share power.

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<v Speaker 1>After the Connecticut Compromise, there was much debate at the

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<v Speaker 1>Convention surrounding what these individual parts would look like. There

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<v Speaker 1>was a lot to hammer out around how we would

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<v Speaker 1>elect the president, the independence of the judiciary, and states

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<v Speaker 1>rights and representation in the legislature, and a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>lesser known delegates one on some critical issues. The Philips said,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a reason why equal state representation in the Senate,

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<v Speaker 1>an idea Madison fought for tooth and nail became not

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<v Speaker 1>only the conventions great is to compromise, but now the

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<v Speaker 1>only permanent, unamendable part of the Constitution. The Constitution was

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<v Speaker 1>written through collaboration and compromise. No delegate achieved everything they wanted,

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<v Speaker 1>but that did not stop them from working hard to

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<v Speaker 1>create a more perfect union. Today's episode is based on

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<v Speaker 1>the article The Virginia Plan versus the New Jersey Plan,

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<v Speaker 1>a constitutional grudge match on how stuff works dot com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by Jesselyn Shields. Brain Stuff is production of I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio and partnership of how stuff Works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's produced by Tyler Playing and Ramsey Youn. Four

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app,

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