Congressional Representation

Congressional Representation in the United States

Constitution of the United States The Constitutional Convention Congressional Representation

On the key question of congressional representation, the convention eventually agreed on a compromise between Edmund Randolph’s Virginia Plan and William Patterson’s New Jersey Plan. Randolph proposed that members of both houses of Congress be apportioned (divided) according to the population of each state. Because the population in three states alone – Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts – made up nearly half the country, Randolph’s plan would have given these populous states control of the nation. Patterson’s New Jersey Plan favored small states, giving all states equal representation in a one-chamber Congress regardless of population. Under the New Jersey Plan, the more numerous small states could unify against the larger ones. Not until mid-July did the delegates adopt a compromise originally put forth by Roger Sherman of Connecticut: Let the states have it both ways. Give the states an equal voice in the upper house, the Senate, and representation apportioned by population in the lower house, the House of Representatives. This bargain became known as the Great Compromise. (1)

In this Section about the Constitutional Convention: Constitutional Convention, Congressional Representation, Slavery, Presidency, Constitutional Convention and the Judiciary and Constitution Approval.

Resources

Notes and References

  1. Encarta Online Encyclopedia

See Also


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