4. The Constitutional Convention: The Final Five Battles

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we examine the final five battles of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. These were: (i) who would be countered for representation purposes; (ii) whether to have a federal veto on state law; (iii) whether to give both the South and the North special trade advantages; (iv) how to choose the president; and (v) whether or not to have a Bill of Rights.

Course

In this course, Professor Woody Holton (University of South Carolina) explores the origins of US Constitution and the differing ideological positions on the structure and function of the federal government in this period. We start by looking at both the internal and external reasons for a new federal government. We then turn to explore how the Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation. After this, we turn to examine the nine battles of the Constitutional Convention.

Lecturer

Woody Holton is Peter and Bonnie McCausland Professor of History at the University of South Carolina. He specialises in early American history, especially the American Revolution, with a focus on economic history, African Americans, Native Americans, and women. He is author of a number of books within these fields including Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution.