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What the Great Compromise and ElectoralCollege mean to us today

Image 1. The Connecticut Compromise, or Great Compromise, painted by Bradley Stevens in 2006. On the left is Oliver Ellsworth and onthe right is Roger Sherman. The painting hangs in the U.S. Senate building. Image courtesy of the U.S. Senate

In 1787, delegates from the 13 American states came together for the Constitutional Convention.

Their plan was to design a new United States government. During the convention, there was a

heated dispute over the question of congressional representation. The delegates could not agree on

how many lawmakers each state should have in Congress. States with larger populations wanted

representation based on population. Meanwhile, smaller states demanded equal representation.

To keep the convention from dissolving into chaos, the Founding Fathers came up with the Great

Compromise. The agreement created today's system of congressional representation. It now

influences everything from "pork barrel" or special interest spending to the Electoral College.

The Sides Could Not Agree

The Constitutional Convention was held in 1787. Delegates from larger states believed

representation in Congress should be based on population. Under this system, states with larger

By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.25.19Word Count 869Level 850L

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

populations would have more representatives in the Senate. States with smaller populations would

have fewer representatives.

Smaller states argued that this would give the larger states too much power. They wanted each

state to have the same number of lawmakers, regardless of population.

The disagreement threatened to prevent the U.S. Constitution from being

approved. Delegates from both sides of the dispute vowed to reject the document if they did not

get their way. The solution came in the form of a compromise proposed by Roger Sherman and

Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut.

A Compromise Deal Is Struck

The Great Compromise was also known as the Sherman Compromise or the Connecticut

Compromise. The deal combined the proposals from two different plans. One was the Virginia

(large state) plan, and the other was the New Jersey (small state) plan.

Under the Great Compromise, Congress would have two houses of legislators. Members of the

House of Representatives would be assigned according to each state's population and elected by

the people.

In the Senate, each state would have two representatives regardless of the state's size. The senators

would be chosen by state lawmakers. That lasted until 1913 when the system was changed so that

senators would be elected by the people.

The plan was approved on July 23, 1787.

At the time of the Constitutional Convention, states had populations of different sizes. However,

they were not as different as they are today. One of the main effects of the Great Compromise is

that states with smaller populations have a disproportionately bigger voice in Congress.

What States Hold The Power?

George Edwards III is a political scientist at Texas

A&M University. California has about 68 times more

people than Wyoming, he says. However, both states

have the same number of votes in the Senate.

"The founders never imagined … the great differences

in the population of states that exist today," Edwards

says. "If you happen to live in a low-population state you get a disproportionately bigger say in

American government."

The imbalance of power in the Senate has major consequences. For example, business interests in

those states are more likely to get attention. They are also more likely to get money from the

government.

Todd Estes is a historian at Oakland University. "In the Senate when they're trying to get to 51

votes to pass a bill, every vote counts," he says. Smaller states can demand additions to bills to

"look out for their own state's interest." Such benefits are often called "pork barrel" spending.

Electoral Votes Can Sway Elections

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Equal representation in the Senate also affects the Electoral College. It is the body of people who

officially vote to elect the president. Each state is assigned a certain number of electoral votes. The

number is based on a state's combined number of representatives in the House and Senate.

Wyoming has the smallest population of all the states. It only has three votes in the Electoral

College. California, the largest state, has 55 electoral votes. However, each of Wyoming's votes

represents a smaller group of people than each of California's votes.

Some scholars believe equal representation in the Senate is critical. The arrangement means that

power is distributed geographically, if not by population. It makes sure that interests across the

entire country are represented in Congress.

Gary L. Gregg II is a political scientist at the University of Louisville. In a 2012 article, he argues

that major cities already have unequal power. They serve as major media and government centers.

He says the structure of the Senate makes sure that the interests of small-town America are

preserved.

What Were The Founding Fathers Thinking?

Was that the goal of the Founding Fathers? It's unlikely since the majority of Americans at the

time of the Constitutional Convention came from rural areas. "No one was thinking about

protecting rural interests," Edwards says. Those interests were already powerful at the time.

The Great Compromise's arrangement of delegates in the Senate may or may not be fair. However,

it is unlikely to ever change. This is because equal representation in the Senate is specifically

protected in the Constitution.

Article V states that no state can lose its equal representation in the Senate without the state's

permission. No state is likely to give up its say.