Malcolm Rivera
The US Constitution, often referred to as a bundle of compromises, was created through a series of negotiations and agreements between the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. One of the most significant compromises was the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, which addressed the issue of congressional representation and established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate. Another important compromise was the Three-Fifths Compromise, which determined how slaves would be counted for congressional representation, with every five enslaved people being counted as three individuals. The issue of slavery was a contentious topic, with Northern states seeking to block the expansion of slavery and Southern states relying on it for their economy. The delegates also compromised on the creation of the Electoral College, which would elect the president, and the Commerce Compromise, which granted Congress the authority to regulate domestic and international trade, except the slave trade for at least 20 years.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Compromise | The Great Compromise, Connecticut Compromise, Sherman Compromise |
| Year | 1787 |
| What it addressed | Congressional representation |
| What it established | A bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate |
| Who it was proposed by | Roger Sherman and other delegates from Connecticut |
| Who it was opposed by | James Madison, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris |
| What it led to | The Three-Fifths Compromise |
| Other compromises | The Three-Fifths Compromise, The Commerce Compromise |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Compromise
The delegates from larger states supported the Virginia Plan, arguing that their greater contribution of financial and defensive resources warranted a stronger say in the central government. On the other hand, delegates from smaller states vehemently opposed this idea, favouring the Jersey Plan. The deadlock was broken by the formation of a compromise committee, which included Roger Sherman from Connecticut, who is often credited as one of the architects of the eventual solution.
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The Three-Fifths Compromise
The Southern states, which relied heavily on slavery, wanted their entire population to be counted, including slaves, to determine the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. On the other hand, the Northern states, where the economy did not depend on slavery, argued that slaves should not be counted towards representation because they had no voting rights. The compromise that was reached counted three-fifths of each state's slave population towards 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.
While the Three-Fifths Compromise was an important step in the creation of the United States Constitution, it was also a flawed compromise that perpetuated the evils of slavery. It gave slaveholders enlarged powers in Southern legislatures and contributed to the societal divide in America. The compromise was finally repealed in 1868 with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which superseded the Three-Fifths Compromise and explicitly repealed it.
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The Commerce Compromise
Another aspect of the Commerce Compromise was the agreement on representation in Congress. The Virginia Plan proposed representation based on each state's population, while the New Jersey Plan suggested equal representation for every state. The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, combined both plans. For the House of Representatives, each state would have one representative for every 40,000 inhabitants, with enslaved people counted as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes. In the Senate, each state would have an equal vote, with members elected by the individual state legislatures.
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The Connecticut Compromise
For the upper house, the compromise mandated equal representation from each state, regardless of its population. Each state would have two members in the Senate, with members elected by their respective state legislatures. This ensured that smaller states had a voice and prevented larger states from dominating the legislative process.
On the other hand, the lower house would be based on proportional representation, with each state having one representative for every 40,000 inhabitants. This representation took into account three-fifths of each state's enslaved population, further complicating the issue of popular representation. The lower house would also be responsible for initiating money bills and other revenue measures.
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The Electoral College
The process of the Electoral College can be broken down into three steps. First, the selection of the electors, who are chosen by the voters in each state. Second, the meeting of the electors, where they cast their votes for President and Vice President. And finally, the third step is the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.
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