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 * **Matt**: Debate/ Facebook/ Photoshop/ Tech Savvy/ TV
 * **Lexi:** Photographer/ Writer/ Wiki Expert/ TV
 * **Chandler**: Radio
 * **Evan:** Speech
 * **Mia:** Video Journalist
 * **Lauren:** Print Journalist

Group Slogan
"Anti-Slavery leaves America FLAVORLY!"

What Your Group Wants -- Plan for New Constitution
Free the slaves!

Bullet Points of Your Plan

 * We want the slaves to be freed!

Orator: Text of Your Speech
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My fellow delegates my name is George Mason and I am an honest man just as you all are. A man of respect and dignity. And in this honest group, I discover the utmost perplexity of man. Wherein we were United not long ago under our British despot, we now seem as dispersed as ever. Not long ago when we endured the harsh taxes; we strived for a better equality in government; we conquered the likelihood of our demise; when we appeared the “slaves.” And brothers I proclaim this to you in all honesty when I say I am on your side. We have fought side by side for our grand independence and yet we do not know how to use it. For our nation to truly experience freedom, we must become United. Not in war, but in the people. What this nation was built on, the people. What this nation is to be governed by, the people. What this nation will continue to be, the American people.

My fellow delegates I must warn you of this statement the, “American people.” This is our nation and all who live on this American soil is its people. All those who live, work, and die in these fields, in this land, is warranted this title.

And where, I ask you, do the Africans land in this scale? The slaves have been paying their taxes far too long. Their tax may I remind you is their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Innocent men, women, and children mangled, broken, and sore from neglectful years and unjust labor. Where do we draw the line? I ask you this now in God’s name and among all of your peers, who really is human? Do our African brothers

Print Journalist: Write-Up of Convention Activity
The Constitutional Convention started off with a bang, on this day of May 25, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as all the delegates made their way into the State House to present their ideas for the new constitution and modify the weak Articles of Confederation. There were many contradictory views jammed into

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one room, and no one really knew what was going to come of the meeting.

The meeting started off with the well-composed and confident James Madison, who introduced the Virginia Plan. He presented the idea of a "government elected by the people". He stated, "We need a democracy!", which led to cheers from some of the spectators in the crowd. He proposed that this type of government would have 3 branches: Legislative, Judicial and Executive branches. In order to keep everything running smoothly, a system of checks and balances would be placed within te government so as not to leave the colonies in danger of being ruled by another tynant leader like King Geroge III. Madison stated that "everyone gets a say in the government", but that smaller states might flinch away from this idea because it kept the smaller states from becoming too powerful and allow every citizen to have equal representation in government. This statement was led by many booes from the supporters of the New Jersey Plan and inhabitants of the smaller states. Madison concluded his speech by stating, "Without it[democracy], we are in grave danger of being overrun by civil war, of losing the liberties the people have fought so hard to protect, and of being re-claimed by Britain as her colonies" and finally, he urged the people to vote for the Virginia Plan.

Following Mr. Madison was Mr. William Patterson, who quietly approached the podium to present his fellow delegates with the New Jersey Plan. Patterson presented the idea of a government that had a one house legislature where each state received one vote, no matter the size or population. Patterson made it clear that by voting for the Virginia Plan, the smaller states would not receive equal representation and would be easily overlooked by the larger states. Patterson asserted, "Choosing our plan will increase the powers of national government while maintaining the majority of the power within the states. It will expand the national power without tearing about the old system" and it was clear that the Virginians and it's supporters did not agree with this. To conclude his speech, Patterson simply stated "One state, one vote" as the fairest and most just conclusion.

The large states plan and the small states plan raised much controversy and debate amongst the delegates, and at this, Roger Sherman approached the podium to introduce The Great Compromise, where the ideals of the Virginia Plan and The New Jersey Plan could be combined into one plan that was able to satisfy large and small colonies alike. Sherman starts off by asserting, "As we were united fighting for this freedom, we should be untied in deciding what is best for our young growing nation." The Virginians liked this statement, because it appealed to their ideas. Sherman went on to state, "We are a growing nation and we need a system that does give power to a majority, but does not completely suppress the ideals of the minority", which was followed by cheers from New Jersey and its supporters. The Great Compromise introduced the idea of two legislative houses, both elected by the people and representative of population. Sherman asserted that all men were created equal, and that that means that every man and every voice should have the chance to be heard. The Great Compromise received the least amount of opposition from the spectators and delegates because it was more appealing to everyone as a whole.

Following the compromising speech of Roger Sherman was the ever-so-confident George Mason, who seemed as if he knew his purpose at this meeting and he would stop at nothing to have his voice heard. He started off by mentioning the fact that the colonists had united together and fought side by side to gain their freedom, but that they did not know how to use it. Mason stated that the government needed to be united by the people, and not by war. He states that our nation was built off of the people, is governed by the people and will continue to be governed by the people, and everyone that is apart of this nation is granted the title of "The American People", including the suppressed slave population. At this, everyone except for the followers of Crispus Attucks and the supporters of the abolition of slavery booed furiously and shouted words of disbelief at Mr. Mason, but everyone knows that the only way we can really become united as a people is if we include EVERYONE in our nation and give EVERYONE equal rights and representation, INCLUDING THE SLAVES! Mason goes on to state, "Do they[the slaves] not bleed from the same veins? Do they not dine on the same bread? What just reason do we have to restrain them from these natural rights?... This callous, barbaric injustice must be halted at its source!" COMPLETELY BARBARIC! As Mason introduced the nations need to abolish all slavery in order for us to grow as one, the cheers of his supporters overpowered the boos of those opposed to the idea. Mason's speech produced the same feeling of controversy amongst the delegates as had existed not much earlier, and tempers had risen.

Mr. Charles Pickney had much to say after he was forced to listen to what he considered blasphemy from George Mason. He stated that 70% of South Carolina is made up of black slaves, and that 20% of the entire nation is made up of blacks. He says that "African Americans help maintain the economy and social structure not only of the South, but also of the United States as a whole. The profitability of a Southern slave plantation is 35% more profitable than a Northern farm. Tobacco, sugar, rice and indigo all serve as large exportation products that could kick-start this new country’s international relations and bring in bountiful amounts of beneficial profits..." The supporters of the abolition of slavery could not believe their ears and would've jumped at the chance to attack Mr. Pickney and choke him til' he turned blue! But they didn't. They kept their cool (kind-of) and threw their words of disbelief at him instead. They actually never really stopped, pretty much the whole time he was talking, haha. Pickney went on to say that "the slaves are critical to our first years as a country" and that "Africans are the catalysts of the undivided economy." No one liked this. He even went to such extremes as to say, "They work so that we don't have to!" Wow, Pickney... that's cold. He claims that the slaves that he owns on his plantation are treated very fairly, and that they don't mind being owned. He says that he clothes them, feeds them and hydrates them. He introduced the idea of the Three-Fifths Compromise, where one slave counts as 3/5 of a man. This arose a lot of tension at the meeting.

As the speeches subsided and the delegates moved into debate-mode, there was a little more heated tension there, as well, as the delegates tried to move the people in the direction they saw to be the most just. The debate started out with a heated argument between New Jersey and Virginia about the representation of large states over small states. The New Jersey folks didn't see how Virginia Plan was fair at all because it allowed the larger states to overpower the smaller states, and they felt that they wouldn't receive a fair amount of representation in the government, and that "when they were ruled by the British, they were overpowered" and they didn't want that to happen again, but the Virginians refused to believe that that would happen. They said that the "minority has more rule than the majority" and that with a checks and balances system, there would be a "representative for each person." The elderly Benjamin Franklin, who had attended the meeting, interjected in this argument and began telling some off the wall story about his cat that wad friends with a black cat, and something about milk.. and "milk-taking"... I don't know.. but then that led to another heated argument between the Dixiecrat Bloc and the Crispus Attucks coalition about slavery. Ben Franklin said that "we need to put slavery on hold right now" and that "this doesn't mean that they don't representation" and the Crispus Attucks supports were happy about this. But as the supports of the abolition of slavery argued with the Dixiecrats, they shouted things like "you refuse to believe in love!" and "don't fuel the fire!" (as in slavery), but the Dixiecrats just kept talking about how the slaves are safer here than in Africa, because in Africa "they're getting mauled by lions!" But that's just crazy talk.. I mean not all African Americans come from Africa, and they were all born with the instincts to run away in the face of danger. If Africans were constantly in danger of being eaten by a lion, do you think there would be anymore available to come work as slaves in America?! I think not. All in all, the Dixiecrats are crazy!... yeah.

The Continental Congress meeting today was fairly productive and I believe that most everyone had their opinions heard and were able to have their voices heard. When it comes to the tension between the large states and the small states, I believe the best idea to subside that problem would be some kind of a compromise, like Ben Franklin said when he mentioned the "2 bowls of milk, one for population and one for state size." I also believe that SLAVERY SHOULD BE COMPLETELY ABOLISHED BECAUSE THE AFRICANS ARE PEOPLE TOO! Vote for the abolition of slavery y'all! ALL MEN WERE CREATED EQUAL!

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