The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, was one of the most important events in American history. This compromise occurred during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia, where the Founding Fathers of America gathered to establish the Constitution of the United States.
Before the Connecticut Compromise, there was much debate and contention over how the new government should be structured. There were two main proposals: the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan favored larger states and called for a bicameral legislature with representation based on population. On the other hand, the New Jersey Plan favored smaller states and called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation.
The Connecticut Compromise was proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut and worked out a compromise between these two proposals. Under the Connecticut Compromise, Congress would have a bicameral legislature, with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate consisting of two representatives per state, regardless of population.
The Connecticut Compromise was a significant turning point for America, as it helped to resolve one of the most pressing issues facing the new nation. Its success was due in large part to the shrewd leadership and diplomacy of Roger Sherman, who was able to craft a proposal that both large and small states could agree on.
The compromise laid the foundation for a government that has worked for over two centuries. It created a balance of power between large and small states, ensuring that each state had equal representation in the Senate while also allowing for the House of Representatives to reflect the population of each state.
In conclusion, the Connecticut Compromise was a pivotal moment in American history that showed the power of compromise and diplomacy. It led to the creation of a government that has lasted for over 200 years and has become a beacon of democracy and freedom around the world.
A major contingency of the ratification of the Constitution of the United States on the part of each individual State was their collective acceptance of a viable process of the selection of legislative representation. Due to the fact that the Articles of Confederation – the precursor to the Constitution – was perceived to be extremely flawed due to its focus on individual State sovereignty, both larger states, like New York and Virginia, as well as smaller states, like New Jersey and Rhode Island, had vastly contrasting opinions on how the selection process for individual State legislative representation should take place.
The New Jersey Plan, a schematic that proposed a selection process which was geared towards the interest of smaller states, suggested a unicameral legislation – one where every State would have equal representation. The Virginia Plan, a proposal that was geared towards larger states, proposed a bicameral legislation, outlining a representative selection process that was reliant on the individual State’s population. On account that all of the thirteen states of the Union could not agree on either of these plans, thus stifling ratification of the Constitution, Roger Sherman, a politician from Connecticut, introduced the Connecticut Compromise.
The Connecticut Compromise combined the ideology presented in both the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan. Sherman knew that the ratification of the Constitution was dependent on a nationwide agreement on the selection process of State representatives. The Articles of Confederation allowed for smaller states to retain equal power and bearing as larger states, whereas prior to the Connecticut Compromise respective population size was not a consideration.
Sherman found a fundamental flaw in this process, explaining that New York, which was comprised of a majority of the population of the United States, would be more of a ‘mouthpiece’ than Rhode Island, a State with a fraction of New York’s population. However, in his Connecticut Compromise Sherman was meticulous in expressing that no State was innately more important or valuable than another.
The Connecticut Compromise introduced a legislative body that consisted of a House of Representatives and a Senate. State Representatives elected to go to the House of Representatives were commensurate on the population of their respective State. However, the number of senators – those individuals selected by each State to serve as representatives in the Senate – was uniform: every state, regardless of size, was allowed two.
Due to the fact that slavery was a major issue in the final agreement to ratify the Constitution – Southern states were very adamant about the preservation of slavery, while many of the Northern states were opposed to its ideology – the Connecticut Compromise proposed a three-fifths compromise in which all non-citizens would be tallied and considered 60% of the population of their respective host State.
Credited with the Connecticut Compromise, Roger Sherman is considered by many to be the catalyst for the ratification of the Constitution. As a result of creating a plan to satisfy the concerns of each State, as well as alleviating the flaws established in the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution soon-after became, and currently exists as, the primary legislative doctrine of the United States. If you need legal advice and assistance, contact a Connecticut lawyer.
