Great Compromise of 1787
During the summer of 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
debated on what type of legislative body the new national government of the United States
should have. Edmund Randolph of Virginia proposed what would be called the Virginia Plan.
This plan called for a bicameral (two house) legislature. Membership in both houses would be
in proportion to a state’s population. Small states (in terms of population) opposed this idea
fearing they would be powerless against the large states. Large states favored this plan since
they felt states with a larger population would contribute more financially through taxes to the
new national government. Therefore, large states should have a greater say in government.
Southern states wanted assurance that slaves would be counted for representation, but
Northern states opposed this fearing it would give Southern states too much power.
Therefore, William Patterson of New Jersey proposed the New Jersey Plan. Under this plan,
there would be a unicameral (one house) legislature where each state would have equal
representation regardless of its population size. Large states opposed this plan because it
was a repeat of the weak Congress that existed under the Articles of Confederation. Small
states favored the plan because it treated all states equally. The debate went on for weeks
and the Convention became deadlocked over the issue. Some states even threatened to
withdraw from the Convention. Finally, a committee consisting of one delegate from each
state was formed to create a compromise. This became known as the Great Compromise. It
created a bicameral legislature. In the upper house, each state would have equal
representation, meaning two senators per state. The lower house would have representation
based on population, meaning one representative for every 30,000 people. The population
count to be used to determine this would be all free inhabitants plus 3/5 of the slave
population. The Great Compromise blended the Virginia and New Jersey Plans, easing the
fears of the small states and appeasing Southern states that wanted slaves counted for
representation purposes.
