Great Compromise Essay, Research Paper
After arriving at Philadelphia the representatives from the thirteen colonies decided to scrap the old Articles of the Confederation, even with explicit instructions form Congress to only adjust. Many ideas were tossed around including the plan by the heavily populated colony of Virginia, which was called “the large-state plan”. This plan declared that representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress should be based on population. Another plan that was being pushed with equal force was the plan brought by New Jersey “the small-state plan”. This plan called for equal representation in a unicameral congress by states, regardless of size and population, as existing under the Articles of the Confederation.
After a bitter and prolonged debate, the “Great Compromise” was born. This was a seemingly equal compromise on both sides, to have a House of Representatives and Congress. This would mean having; one house which representation was determined by population and another in which each state would have equal representation. After the “Great Compromise” another issue arose, would slaves count towards population representation in the senate. This heated debate lead the “three-fifths compromise” in which each slave would count as 3/5 of a free person. In addition to the compromise congress declared that slave trade might continue until the end of 1807, this obviously didn’t happen.