Under the Articles, each state had just one vote. Edmund Randolph proposed the Virginia Plan, under which representation would be based on state population. William Patterson presented the New Jersey Plan, which called for equal representation regardless of population. This was a major conflict between the large and small states.
Another serious issue was about the enumeration of slaves. The northern states, having very few slaves, hoped that slaves would not count toward state population and taxation. The southern states, with their large number of slaves, wanted slaves to count toward the population, which would greatly increase their representation.
Both of these conflicts were resolved on July 16, 1787, when Roger Sherman presented the Great Compromise. This called for a bicameral legislature in which one house would have equal representation, while the other would be based on population. Also, each slave would count as three-fifths of a person in the population count, which would be used to determine representation and taxation. Also, the slave trade would be legal only until 1808. There was no mention, however, of the legality of owning slaves.
The next issue to arise was the control of commerce. The delegates decided to give Congress the power to tax and regulate trade, with the exception of exports. Another decision made was the removal of direct election, except for the election of representatives to the House of Representatives, which would remain direct.
On September 17, 1787, all the delegates, except for Randolph, Mason, and Gerry, signed the Constitution. It was then sent out to the states for ratification. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the constitution, thereby making the U.S. Constitution formally ratified.
The delegates that came to Philadelphia knew that it was impossible to form a perfect political system. They did, however, reach many important compromises and gave the Constitution enough flexibility to allow for change in the years to come.