Constitutional Convention: Great Compromise

A Bicameral Legislature- The end result of the Great Compromise was the inclusion of a bicameral (two-house) legislature in the U.S. Constitution. One house (the House of Representatives) represents citizens by population and the other (the Senate) with two senators per state. Throughout the Constitutional Convention, the Founders sought thoughtful compromises, finding creative ways to find solutions to difficult issues. Their willingness to make concessions to each other led the way to the peaceful settlement of other important, potentially divisive issues.

The Great Compromise- Despite his lack of formal education, Roger Sherman read widely and became a leader in his community and the nation. By the time Sherman attended the Constitutional Convention, he was both respected and influential. The compromise plan of government he suggested resolved the dispute between the large and small states. Later, Sherman helped Connecticut ratify the Constitution. He served as a U.S. representative and a U.S. senator.

U.S. House of Representatives- The Great Compromise was also called the Connecticut Compromise in honor of the two men representing Connecticut who came up with the plan. It provided for citizen representation in two ways, a new idea at the time. For the lower house, the House of Representatives, the compromise drew from the Virginia Plan. It suggested that every state have at least one representative, with the other seats assigned in proportion to population. There would be one representative for every 30,000 citizens in a state (in 1929 the number of representatives was permanently set at 435).

U.S. Senate- During the Constitutional Convention, the delegates became deadlocked over the issue of fair representation in Congress. The large states felt that they should have more power because they had more people and contributed more money to the government. The smaller states naturally wanted representation to be equal for all states. The Great Compromise proposed two legislative houses. Drawing on ideas from the New Jersey Plan, it suggested the states be represented equally in the upper house of Congress, the U.S. Senate. Each state would be equal to every other state and would receive two Senate seats.