Constitution: Compromise or Contradiction?

CASE BRIEF: The 1787 Constitutional Convention produced a framework built on compromise — but some compromises protected liberty while others entrenched injustice.

TASK: Use convention notes and Federalist/Anti-Federalist excerpts to argue whether the Constitution was a fair compromise or a set of contradictions.

EVIDENCE: Three-Fifths Compromise text - Federalist No. 10 excerpt (Madison) - An Anti-Federalist objection on individual rights

ANALYZE: Which compromises were necessary for ratification? Which compromises caused the most long-term harm? Could the Convention have reached agreement without them?

BUILD A CLAIM: Take a position: was the Constitution primarily an act of principled compromise or of contradiction? Defend it.

RUBRIC: Distinguishes types of compromise - Uses primary source language - Addresses long-term consequences