1787–1789
CC Day 24: The House of Representatives Revisited
On June 21st, Alexander Hamilton of New York (1757–1804) introduced his plan, arguing that the current plans were insufficient to ensure a “good government.”
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On June 21st, Alexander Hamilton of New York (1757–1804) introduced his plan, arguing that the current plans were insufficient to ensure a “good government.”
On June 22nd, delegates rejected two motions: one allowing the lower house to determine its own salary, and the other removing the national treasury as the source of legislators’ pay. They also set the minimum age for serving in the lower house at 25.
On June 23rd, delegates agreed to remove the restriction preventing House members from holding other federal offices.
On June 25th, delegates narrowly agreed to change from “National Legislature” to “United States Legislature.”
On June 26th, the Convention continued debating the revised Virginia Plan, focusing on details of the upper house.
On June 27th, John Rutledge of South Carolina (1739–1800) proposed postponing discussion of the sixth resolution of the revised Virginia Plan so that delegates could first consider the seventh and eighth resolutions, which he viewed as more fundamental because they addressed suffrage in each legislative house.
On June 28th, Luther Martin of Maryland (1748–1826) continued to argue that smaller states needed protection, warning that large states could dominate them through voting power.
On June 29th, Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut (1745–1807) introduced a compromise proposing proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation of states in the upper house.
On July 5th, the Gerry Committee returned with a three-part compromise: proportional representation in the lower house . . .
On July 6th, delegates debated the Gerry Committee Report and approved the provision that money bills must originate in the first branch and cannot be amended by the second.