Question
How did the Great Compromise resolve the issue of representation in Congress?
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GPT-5 mini
The Great Compromise (aka the Connecticut Compromise) settled the 1787 Constitutional Convention dispute between large states, which wanted representation by population (Virginia Plan), and small states, which wanted equal representation (New Jersey Plan).
Key elements:
- Congress became bicameral: a House of Representatives and a Senate.
- House of Representatives: seats apportioned by population (so larger states get more representatives); representatives elected by the people and serve two‑year terms.
- Senate: each state gets equal representation—two senators per state—regardless of size; senators originally chosen by state legislatures and serve six‑year staggered terms (direct election came later with the 17th Amendment).
- Related compromise: the Three‑Fifths Compromise determined how enslaved people were counted for apportionment and taxation, affecting House representation.
Why it mattered: by combining proportional representation in one chamber and equal state representation in the other, the Compromise balanced the interests of large and small states and made agreement on the Constitution possible.
Key elements:
- Congress became bicameral: a House of Representatives and a Senate.
- House of Representatives: seats apportioned by population (so larger states get more representatives); representatives elected by the people and serve two‑year terms.
- Senate: each state gets equal representation—two senators per state—regardless of size; senators originally chosen by state legislatures and serve six‑year staggered terms (direct election came later with the 17th Amendment).
- Related compromise: the Three‑Fifths Compromise determined how enslaved people were counted for apportionment and taxation, affecting House representation.
Why it mattered: by combining proportional representation in one chamber and equal state representation in the other, the Compromise balanced the interests of large and small states and made agreement on the Constitution possible.