Jonah Patel
The legislative compromise that allowed the US Constitution to be approved was the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise. The Great Compromise was established to resolve the differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, which had emerged to deal with state representation. The Virginia Plan, supported by larger states, proposed representation based on each state's population, while the New Jersey Plan, supported by smaller states, proposed equal representation for every state. The Great Compromise combined both plans, establishing a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate. This compromise was essential in addressing the contentious issue of representation in Congress and ensuring the approval of the US Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | The Great Compromise, Connecticut Compromise |
| Date | 16 July 1787 |
| Purpose | To resolve differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan |
| Outcome | Established a bicameral legislature with two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives |
| Senate | Each state has equal representation with two senators each |
| House of Representatives | Representation based on each state's population |
| Senators | Appointed by state legislatures for six-year terms |
| Members of the House | Elected by the voters in each state for two-year terms |
| Other Compromises | Three-Fifths Compromise, Commerce Compromise, Electoral College Compromise |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Compromise
To resolve these concerns, the convention delegates approved forming a compromise committee to devise a plan among the proposed plans for Congress. The committee proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation based on a state's population for one chamber and equal state representation in the other. For the House of Representatives, the plan proposed that each state would have one representative for every 40,000 inhabitants, elected by the people. The compromise was amended to include three-fifths of each state's enslaved population toward that state's total population. For the Senate, the committee proposed that each state would have an equal vote, with members elected by the individual state legislatures.
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Connecticut Compromise
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, was the legislative compromise that allowed the US Constitution to be approved. The Connecticut Compromise was proposed by Connecticut's Roger Sherman and was adopted on July 16, 1787.
The Connecticut Compromise resolved the contentious issue of representation in Congress, which was a point of contention between the larger and smaller states during the Constitutional Convention. The larger states argued that their greater contribution of financial and defensive resources to the nation meant that they ought to have a greater say in the central government. On the other hand, the smaller states believed that each state should have equal representation.
The Connecticut Compromise combined the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. It established a bicameral legislature with two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state would have equal representation in the Senate, with two senators each, satisfying the smaller states. On the other hand, representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state's population, aligning with the preferences of the larger states.
The Connecticut Compromise was a significant agreement that allowed for the adoption of the United States Constitution and the existence of the federal government as we know it today. Without this compromise, it is unlikely that a deal would have been reached.
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Bicameral legislature
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, was a crucial agreement that allowed the United States Constitution to be approved. It established a bicameral legislature, consisting of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. This compromise addressed the contentious issue of congressional representation, balancing the interests of larger and smaller states.
The concept of bicameralism refers to a legislature divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses. In the US context, the bicameral legislature comprises the House of Representatives and the Senate, each with distinct roles and powers. This structure aimed to provide a "double security" for the people, as described by future Supreme Court Justice James Iredell.
The House of Representatives, as the lower chamber, is directly elected by the people, with representation proportional to the population of each state. This chamber reflects the will of the people and can be more susceptible to "fickleness and passion," as James Madison noted. On the other hand, the Senate, as the upper chamber, was designed to be a stabilising force, with members selected by state legislators rather than mass electors. The idea was that senators would be more knowledgeable, deliberate, and wise, acting as a republican nobility.
The Senate's primary role is to act as a chamber of revision. While it rarely rejects bills passed by the House of Representatives, it regularly amends them. These amendments respect the purpose of the original bills, ensuring their acceptability to the lower chamber. Additionally, the Senate has prerogatives in foreign policy, an area where steadiness and discretion are deemed crucial.
The creation of a bicameral legislature was a significant departure from the unicameral legislature under the Articles of Confederation. It was a compromise that ensured all states had a voice in the federal government. The larger states, with greater populations, initially argued for representation based on population, while smaller states advocated for equal representation. The Great Compromise resolved this dispute by providing proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate.
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Proportional representation
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, was the legislative compromise that allowed the US Constitution to be approved. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 established equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives.
The Great Compromise addressed the contentious issue of representation in Congress, which was a point of contention between the larger and smaller states during the Constitutional Convention. The smaller states, like New Jersey, believed that each state should have equal representation, while the larger states, like Virginia, thought that representation should be based on population. This was because the larger states contributed more financially and defensively, and therefore they believed they should have a greater say in the central government.
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and introduced by Edmund Randolph, proposed the creation of a bicameral national legislature, with "rights of suffrage" in both houses proportional to the size of the state. The New Jersey Plan, proposed by William Paterson, suggested a unicameral (one-house) legislature in which each state had a single vote. The Convention voted down Paterson's proposal and affirmed its commitment to a bicameral legislature.
The Great Compromise combined both plans, creating a bicameral legislature with one proportional body (the House of Representatives) and one uniform body (the Senate). In the Senate, each state would have equal representation with two senators each, satisfying the smaller states. In the House of Representatives, representation would be based on each state's population, aligning with the preferences of the larger states.
This compromise was essential in ensuring that all states had a voice in the federal government and balancing the power between larger and smaller states. It allowed for the adoption of the United States Constitution and the existence of the federal government as we know it today.
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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 was significant as it determined the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes each state could cast, and the amount of tax money states had to pay.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney. It was a compromise between the free states and the slaveholding states. The free states wanted to exclude the counting of slave populations in slave states since those slaves had no voting rights. On the other hand, the slaveholding states wanted their entire population to be counted to determine the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. The Three-Fifths Compromise was a resolution that counted 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 Northern states.
The Three-Fifths Compromise also had implications for taxation. It determined that federal taxes would be levied on slaveholding states based on their total population, including three-fifths of their slave population. This increased the direct federal tax burden on slaveholding states.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. It was superseded and explicitly repealed by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, resolved the differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. It established a bicameral legislature with one proportional body (the House of Representatives) and one uniform body (the Senate).
The Great Compromise was a plan that provided for a bicameral legislature with proportional representation based on a state's population in one chamber (the House of Representatives) and equal state representation in the other (the Senate). This compromise was necessary to bridge the gaps between the different interests and perspectives represented at the Constitutional Convention.
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison, proposed the creation of a bicameral national legislature with representation in both houses proportional to the size of the state. The New Jersey Plan, proposed by William Paterson, suggested a unicameral (one-house) legislature in which each state had a single vote.
