Representation At The Constitutional Congress: Fair Or Not?

The Constitutional Congress, also known as the Constitutional Convention, was held in Philadelphia in 1787. The delegates debated the issue of political representation, with large states demanding representation by population, and small states arguing for equal representation. The Great Compromise, or the Connecticut Compromise, was a plan for congressional representation that resolved this issue. It established equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives, giving each state two senators regardless of population, while representation in the House was based on population. This compromise has been criticised as undemocratic as it gives smaller states disproportionate power in the Senate. Another issue that divided the delegates was slavery, with the Three-Fifths Compromise counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation in the House.

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Large states vs small states

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 debated the issue of large states vs small states in relation to representation in Congress. The large states favoured representation by population, arguing that their greater contribution to the nation's financial and defensive resources entitled them to a greater say in the central government. On the other hand, the small states argued for equal representation by state, with delegates from less populous states fearing that they would be dominated by the larger states.

The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and introduced by Edmund Randolph, proposed a bicameral national legislature with representation in both houses proportional to the size of the state. This plan was supported by the delegates from the larger states. In response, William Paterson of New Jersey proposed the New Jersey Plan, which favoured the small states and proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state had a single vote.

The delegates voted down Paterson's proposal and affirmed their commitment to a bicameral legislature. However, the small-state delegates continued to protest, threatening to unravel the proceedings. A compromise was reached, known as the "Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise," which established equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives. This plan resolved the most controversial aspect of the drafting of the Constitution.

The delegates also agreed that each state would have two senators, rather than one, to ensure representation even if one senator was absent. This decision was made unanimously, despite concerns that it would lead to an overly large Senate as new states joined the union. The final compromise, therefore, gave small states equal representation in the Senate while also ensuring that representation in the House of Representatives was proportional to the population of each state.

Bicameral legislature

The United States' Bicameral Congress is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It was established by the country's Founding Fathers to create a separation of powers and act as a system of checks and balances to prevent the legislative branch from having too much power. The two chambers of the legislative body have different organisations, rules, methods of selecting members, and designated powers regarding the legislation and oversight of the other branches of the government.

The concept of a bicameral legislature dates back to medieval Europe, where the two chambers of a legislature were divided based on class and designed to reflect different types of representation. The English Parliament became bicameral in recognition of the distinction between the nobility and clergy and the common people. The House of Lords and the House of Commons reflected these distinctions.

The US Constitution's Bicameral Congress was established by the convention of 1787, which decided that the new national legislature should consist of two branches to preserve the identity of the separate states, safeguard the influence of smaller states, and protect the interests of property. The Founders of the US established a bicameral legislature to represent states' interests in the federal government. The larger states, mostly in the South, and the smaller states, in the North, quarreled over which should wield more power at the federal level. The Virginia Plan, proposed by the larger states, called for a two-chamber legislature with representation by population in each chamber. The smaller states objected and proposed the New Jersey Plan, which provided for equal representation among the states in a one-chamber legislature.

The delegates ultimately agreed on the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, which proposed a bicameral congress with members apportioned differently in each house. The upper house, the Senate, would have two members from each state, while the lower house, the House of Representatives, would have membership proportional to the population in each state. This measure protected the interests of both the large and small states.

Congressional representation

The Constitutional Convention of 1787, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, was convened to revise the Articles of Confederation and establish a new constitution. One of the key issues debated by the delegates was congressional representation, specifically the question of equal vs proportional representation. Large states favoured representation by population, while small states argued for equal representation.

The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and introduced by Edmund Randolph, proposed a bicameral legislature with representation in both houses proportional to the size of the state. This idea was opposed by delegates from small states, who believed that representation based on population would diminish their state's rights. Delegates from large states countered that their greater contribution of financial and defensive resources entitled them to more say in the central government.

The compromise, known as the "Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise", established equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives. This plan for mixed representation was narrowly adopted by the delegates, with each state having two senators in the Senate regardless of population, and representation in the House based on population.

Another aspect of representation that was debated was the issue of slavery. The "Three-Fifths Compromise" provided that three-fifths of enslaved people in each state would count toward representation in the House, increasing the number of congressional seats for several Southern states.

The delegates also discussed the number of senators per state, with Gouverneur Morris of New York proposing three senators per state. Ultimately, the Convention approved two senators per state by unanimous vote, with senators voting as individuals rather than having one vote per state.

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Three-Fifths Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention regarding the inclusion of slaves in counting a state's total population. This total population count would determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes each state received, and the amount of money the states paid in taxes.

The delegates from the Northern and Southern states disagreed on how to count slaves in the population. The Southern states, which had a higher population due to slavery, wanted their entire population to be considered when determining the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. On the other hand, the Northern states wanted to exclude the counting of slaves in the Southern states, as those slaves had no voting rights.

The delegates eventually agreed on a compromise proposed by James Madison, counting three-fifths of each state's slave population toward that state's total population for the purpose of apportioning the House of Representatives. This gave the Southern states more power in the House relative to the North, as they were perpetually overrepresented in national politics. However, this same ratio was used to determine the federal tax contribution required of each state, increasing the direct federal tax burden of slaveholding states.

The Three-Fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. In 1868, Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment superseded this clause and explicitly repealed the compromise.

Federal government power

The Constitutional Convention of 1787, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, was a pivotal moment in American history, where delegates from various states debated and forged a new Constitution, shaping the future of the nation. One of the critical issues at the Convention was the representation in Congress, with large and small states clashing over their influence in the legislative process. This dispute threatened to unravel the proceedings, as delegates from larger states argued for representation based on population, while small states demanded equal representation.

The Virginia Plan, proposed by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, suggested a bicameral national legislature with representation in both houses proportional to the size of the state. This idea was met with resistance from small-state delegates, who felt their voices would be drowned out by the larger states. The small states, having enjoyed equal representation under the Articles of Confederation, were adamant about maintaining their influence in the new government.

The "Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise" resolved this contentious issue. This compromise established the House of Representatives, where representation was based on population, ensuring that larger states had a proportional say. Simultaneously, it created the Senate, where each state, regardless of size, was equally represented by two senators. This compromise ensured that both large and small states had a fair share of power in the federal government.

Another critical aspect of representation was the "Three-Fifths Compromise," which counted enslaved African Americans as three-fifths of a person for representation in the House of Representatives. This compromise greatly influenced congressional representation, particularly in the Southern states, and reflected the contentious issue of slavery, which divided the nation.

The delegates' debates and compromises at the Constitutional Congress resulted in a unique system of checks and balances, with a distribution of power across the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This careful balancing act aimed to prevent any single branch or state from dominating the federal government, ensuring a more equitable representation of the states' interests.

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