Grand Convention at Philadelphia, May to September, 1787, Quill Project 2021 Edition.
The main chamber of the Constitutional Convention, consisting of all delegates.
To see the full record of a committee, click on the corresponding committee on the map below.
Committee of the Whole House reported.
[Resolutions of the Committee of the Whole House as Amended by the Convention]
1. Resolved that the government of the United States ought to consist of a Supreme Legislative, Judiciary, and Executive.
2. Resolved that the Legislature ought to consist of Two Branches.
3. Resolved that the Members of the first branch of the Legislature ought to be elected by the People of the several States for the term of two years; to be of the age of 25 years at least; to be ineligible to and incapable of holding any Office under the authority of the United-States (except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the first branch) during the term of service.
4. Resolved that the Members of the second branch of the Legislature of the United States ought to be chosen by the individual Legislatures; to be of the age of thirty years at least; to hold their offices for a term of six years, one third to go out biennially; to receive a compensation for the devotion of their time to the public service; to be ineligible to, and incapable of holding any office under the authority of the United States (except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the second branch) during the term for which they are elected, and for one year thereafter.
5. Resolved that each branch ought to possess the right of originating acts.
6. Resolved that the national Legislature ought to possess the legislative rights vested in Congress by the confederation — and moreover to legislate in all cases for the general interests of the Union, and also in those to which the States are separately incompetent, or in which the harmony of the United States may be interrupted by the exercise of individual legislation.
Resolved that the legislative acts of the United States made by virtue and in pursuance of the articles of Union and all Treaties made and ratified under the authority of the United States shall be the supreme law of the respective States as far as those acts or Treaties shall relate to the said States, or their Citizens and Inhabitants — and that the Judiciaries of the several States shall be bound thereby in their decisions, any thing in the respective laws of the individual States to the contrary notwithstanding
7. Resolved that the right of suffrage in the first branch of the national Legislature ought not to be according to the rule established in the articles of confederation, but according to some equitable ratio of representation.
New Hampshire shall send ..... Three
Massachusetts .......................... Eight
Rhode Island ............................. One
Connecticut ............................... Five
New York ................................... Six
New Jersey ............................... Four
Pennsylvania ............................. Eight
Delaware ................................... One
Maryland .................................... Six
Virginia ....................................... Ten
North Carolina .......................... Five
South Carolina .......................... Five