The Great Compromise: Definition, History, Result and Summary
The Sherman Compromise was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 between delegates of the states with large and small populations that defined the structure of Congress and the number of representatives each state would have in Congress according to the United States Constitution.Congress would be a two-chambered body, with each state getting a number of representatives in the lower chamber proportional to its population, under an agreement proposed by Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention debated how many representatives each state should have in the U.S. Congress.In this case, the Great Compromise of 1787, resolving a great debate required a compromise.The delegates at the Constitutional Convention wanted a single chamber with a certain number of representatives from each state.
How many representatives from each state?The Virginia Plan called for each state to have a different number of representatives based on their population.The New Jersey Plan was supported by delegates from smaller states.
The delegates from the smaller states argued that their states held equal legal status to the larger states and that proportional representation would be unfair to them.The small states could be forced to find some foreign ally of more honor and good faith, who will take them by the hand and do them justice.
Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts objected to the small states claim of legal sovereignty.
The alternative to a "bicameral," or two-chambered Congress made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives, was proposed by Roger Sherman.Sherman suggested that each state would send an equal number of representatives to the Senate and House.
The delegates were familiar with the structure of Congress proposed by Sherman because all the states except Pennsylvania had bicameral legislatures.
The Connecticut Compromise of 1787 was a plan by Sherman that pleased delegates from both large and small states.
The structure and powers of the new U.S. Congress were explained to the people by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
Each state is represented in Congress by two Senators and a variable number of members of the House of Representatives based on the state's population as reported in the most recent decennial census.Apportionment is the process of determining the number of House members from each state.
4 million Americans were counted in the first census.The total number of members elected to the House of Representatives grew from 65 to 106.Congress set the current House membership in the early 20th century.
To ensure fair and equal representation in the House, the process of "redistricting" is used to establish or change the geographic boundaries within the states from which representatives are elected.
The US Supreme Court ruled in 1964 that all of the congressional districts in each state must have the same population.
High population urban areas are not allowed to gain an inequitable political advantage over less populated rural areas.
If New York City were split into several congressional districts, the vote of a single city resident would have more influence on the House than all of the city's residents combined.
The differences between the states in 1787 were less pronounced than they are today.The population of Wyoming in 2020 is less than that of California.The political impact of the Great Compromise was that states with smaller populations have more power in the Senate.Both California and Wyoming have two votes in the Senate.