There are 59,000 people living in Delaware and few are slaves. The state is made up of about 1,978 square miles, which is rather small. The delegates from Delaware think the new Constitution should create one lawmaking body (legislature) in which all states are equally represented. If the new government were based on population Delaware will have only one-ninetieth of a share in the new national government. The desires of the large states may crush the small states such as Delaware whenever the small states stand in the way of the ambitions of the larger states. The delegates are against the importation of slaves and believe that the practice of importing slaves should be stopped. The importation of slaves is immoral and denies the principles of liberty for which the new nation stands. Since there are few slaves in Delaware, the delegates believe that slaves should not count as part of the population in determining representation in the legislature. If representation were based on population the small states such as Delaware would be at a disadvantage. And, the counting of slaves would only make the situation worse especially for states with few or no slaves. Slaves do not pay taxes or vote so they should not be counted for population. The slave owners only consider slaves as property. Finally, more than one person should hold the executive power. A single person might easily gain too much power and become a dictator or a king. A small group of people would be safer and would represent the different parts of the country, thereby pleasing everyone. Delaware MTT Icons:! interesting + important ? I don’t get it = Reminds me of : ) Like : ( Don’t like 1. What does your state think about how representation in the new government should be determined? 2. What does your state think about slavery? 3. What does your state think about the executive or the presidency? HAT: States and the Constitution Interact MTT The delegates at the Constitutional Convention quickly realized that throwing out the Articles of Confederation was the best choice. The question then became –how do we replace it? Different states had different views on representation, slavery and the presidency. Which state would come out on top? Read about your state below and figure out what the people living there mainly believed. Maryland is made up of 9,874 square miles. It has a population of 320,000 people, with one-third of that number being slaves. The delegates from Maryland believe the new Constitution should establish a lawmaking body (legislature) in which all states have equal representation. The larger states insist that, “they never will hurt or injure the small states,” but the delegates of Maryland do not believe them. The small states fought alongside the big states in the Revolution and they deserve equal say in the new country. The delegates from Maryland disagree with the importation of slaves. They believe that the practice should be stopped. The importation of slaves is immoral. Besides, Maryland has already prohibited the slave trade within its borders. Maryland has many slaves and will need as many representatives as possible if representation in Congress is determined by population. If representation in the legislature is based on population, Maryland wants slaves counted as part of the population. Finally, the delegates from Maryland believe that the executive powers should be given to more than one person under the new Constitution. A single person would be dangerous. He might easily get too much power and become a dictator or a king. A small group would be safer. Maryland MTT Icons:! interesting + important ? I don’t get it = Reminds me of : ) Like : ( Don’t like 1. What does your state think about how representation in the new government should be determined? 2. What does your state think about slavery? 3. What does your state think about the executive or the presidency? loading... loading... loading... loading... loading... loading... loading... loading... loading... . +