Analyzing the Great Compromise of 1787 and its Impact on Congress

The essay examines the Great Compromise of 1787, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, which addressed the contentious issue of state representation in the newly forming US Congress. The compromise, proposed by Oliver Ellsworth and Roger Sherman, established a bicameral legislature with a lower house (House of Representatives) based on population and an upper house (Senate) with equal representation for each state. This balanced the interests of both larger and smaller states, paving the way for the Constitution's development and preserving the unity of the Constitutional Convention. The essay highlights how this compromise successfully calmed the debate over representation and its enduring impact on the structure of the US government.

Running head: THE GREAT COMPROMISE OF 1787
THE GREAT COMPROMISE OF 1787
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Author Note

1THE GREAT COMPROMISE OF 1787
When Congress was being established, the smaller states and the larger
sates were debating over how much representation each state would have
in the federal government. Explain how the Great Compromise calmed the
debate over this issue.
The Great Compromise also known as the Connecticut Compromise and Sherman
Compromise occurred in 1787 during the Constitutional Convention. The larger states and
the smaller states were in a state of dilemma as to how the Congress needs to set up. The
larger states demanded for a bicameral house where they wanted a representation of states on
the basis of the population on the other hand the smaller states demanded for a unicameral
where all the states would be represented equally (Way, 2015). However, Oliver Ellsworth
and Roger Sherman proposed a plan on July 16, 1787 for establishing a two- house
legislature the lower and the upper house where the representative elected by the district
would serve the lower house and senators would represent the states individually in the upper
house (Way, 2015). This was agreed by both the states and paved way for a new structure for
the government. This had helped in balancing between general and proportional
representation. The larger states got representation in the lower house on the basis of their
population and the states that were smaller, in the upper house got equal representation
(Coats, 2018). The Great Compromise successfully balanced the needs of the states and
paved way for the development of the constitution. The Great Compromise helped in keeping
the Convention together. The Great Compromise satisfied the needs of both the states and
helped in calming the debate over this issue which was huge during that time and also proved
to be beneficial as the existence of this structure can still be seen in the US government.

2THE GREAT COMPROMISE OF 1787
Reference
Coats, K. (2018). One Great and Noble Source: The Development of Democratic Thought in
Early America, 1776-1787.
Way, J. (2015). What is the Constitution?. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
.