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Resolution of the Equal Congress Representation

The issue of Equal Representation presented a significant challenge between the big states and the small states. While attempting to reach amicable solutions, numerous compromises were created by the Constitutional Convention. The antagonistic point was that the small states wanted every state to have an equal number of representatives in Congress while the large states wanted representation based on the size of the population in Congress. For the two states to reach a solution, significant compromises were established to ensure that the two states agreed on the primary issues that were affecting them. The three primary compromises that led to the resolution of equal representation included the Great Compromise, the Electoral College and the Three-Fifths Compromise. These compromises had different roles in the peacemaking process. For instance, the Great Compromise aimed to resolve the issues of representation in the national or federal government and the Three-Fifths Compromise was used to resolve the issues of representation on the enslaved population of the southern states and importation of the enslaved Africans (Rakove 424). On the other hand, the Electoral College was used to resolve the process of the election of the president. The issue of Equal Representation for the states was thus resolved through the use of the three primary Compromises that ensured that the two states agreed on the various aspects that were resulting in inequality and unfairness amongst them.

The Great Compromise, also called the Connecticut Compromise refers to an agreement that was reached by the large and small states during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that aimed to define both the legislative structure and the representation of every state within the Constitution of the United States. The compromise proposed a legislature with two parts by a delegate from Connecticut, Roger Sherman. The proposal was important in the establishment of a bicameral legislative branch that offered equal representation to the two states in the Senate and the representation depended on the population of the House of Representatives (Rakove 424). The main problem for the small state they felt they would be undermined if the population was used as the basis of representation while the big state maintained that they deserved more of the voice in the Congress due to their large population. Under the system proposed by Roger Sherman, every state would get represented in a balanced power. The system will also allow for the equal representation of each state in the Senate, with two Senators and the representation in the House of Representatives would be depended in the population. The delegates in the house agreed to this proposal.

The Great Compromise aimed at bringing peace among the two states. The delegates from the big states maintained that they had a great proportion of representatives to the financial and defensive resources of the nation and that they would be given a significant proportion of the representation in the Senate and the House. Also, the small state with the same zeal demanded that they also get equal representation in both the houses. The proposal by Sherman was supported by Benjamin Franklin who also agreed that every state should have an equal vote in the Senate in every aspect excluding where money was involved. The Great Compromise was thus vital in settlement of the equal representation for the two houses that resulted in agreements among the people from the big and small state. It led to a resolution through an effective proposal. The deal also played an essential role in reshaping the structure of the American Government by establishing a balance between the most populated states and their demands and those from the less populated states with their interests getting considered.

The Great Compromise had significant results. The agreement was meant to find solutions to the interests of the large states such as Virginia and New York and also those of the small states like Rhodes and Hampshire that was meant to find a solution between the proportional and general representation. The solutions that led to equal Representation that was a challenge between the states and one of the primary achievements of the compromise was that every state would divide congressional delegates between the representatives that in the end would be elected by the district to serve in the lower house and senators. These individuals would be tasked with the representation of the Upper House ((Pope 292). Moreover, the practical aspect of the establishment of the Compromise was with the establishment of the two-tiered system that was created to address the interests of the lower and the upper house. From the split, the formation of the Electoral College and Presidential elections splinted between indirect and direct representation.

Moreover, the great Compromise resulted in the larger state representation in the lower house based on the population while the smaller states got equal representation in the upper house. Most delegates called for the proportional representation in the house, but the small delegates opposed the establishment of a constitution but instead wanted the proposed system by Madison (Estes 255). The compromise ensured balancing the needs for all the parties including the small states that wanted a unicameral legislature and the big states that insisted on the establishment of a bicameral legislature, and this led to the development of the constitution. In the end, the Connecticut Compromise maintained the togetherness of the convention and resulted in the system of bicameral Congress where the lower House depended on the proportional representation and every state has equal representation in the upper House leading to the realization of the solution to the problem of the equal representation.

Moreover, the Constitution Convention resulted in the establishment of an executive branch and the judicial branch where a system of checks and balances were created. In all the branches, there was the distribution of power, an aspect that ensured there was no branch having more obligations or power than the other. The Virginia plan was presented by Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia; a plan provided for the National Government with the inclusion of all the branches (Pope 289). The legislative branch was tasked with lawmaking, the executive branch provided leadership and law enforcement while the judicial branch was given an obligation to explain and interpret the laws.

The Three-Fifth Compromise refers to a Constitutional Convention that was held in Philadelphia and permitted the government to count slaves as partial .people, leading to the resolution of the Equal Representation by counting slaves (Bowen 103). In respect, the slabs were counted as three-fifths of the human beings during presidential elections. The compromise included the issues of politics and commerce also divided the individuals from the two states, and it was important that a solution was established for the same. The Southern states were exporting raw materials and goods, and they were afraid that the Northern states would take unjust advantage. In the quest for the two-third passage, the South agreed to abolish this requirement in both the houses to regulate commerce. The North also acknowledged that the slave trade would go on until 1808, but the slaves were to be counted as three-fifths of an individual for representation in the House of Representatives that was called the “Three-Fifths Compromise.” The black people through this compromise were to account for three-fifths of an individual in the determination of the representation of the people in Congress.

Moreover, the Compromise significantly enhanced the representation and the political power of the states who owned the slaves. If the Southern states were to be equally represented, they would have accounted to about 33 of the seats in the House of Representatives. However, due to the Compromise, the total seats for the Southern States accounted to 47 in the House of Representatives of the initial Congress of the United States in 1790. The aspect permitted the individuals from the south to assemble more power at the political level, and this provided with a significant control during the elections of the president, and this helps in the representation of these peoples’ interests and to come in agreement with the individuals from the Northern States. The Compromise also affected how the election was conducted in the nation on the executive branch as every number of electors in the states in the Electoral College was equal to the number of representatives in Congress.

The Electoral College also played an essential role in providing a solution to the Equal Representation in the two Houses. The compromise was used to address the issues of nationality requirement and the various ways to ratify and amend the constitution. It was illustrated that for the individuals to hold office or for eligibility in the office, the Senators would have to be citizens in the state for nine years and must have been senators for seven years. However, the amendment of the constitution had to be passed through voting where 13 states would have to cast their votes before an amendment becomes low.

The Compromise of Electoral College was important in the protection of the small states through equal representation in the Senate, a compromise that was used in the election of the president as the number of the electoral votes got designated to every state based on the combined number of the representatives in the House and Senate (Slonim 35). Thus, it was an important compromise that helped protect the interest of the small states and also ensured that the requirements of the big states were met through nationality requirements.

In conclusion, the Equal Representation issue had a significant impact on the Constitution of the United States. In the Constitutional Convention, most individuals made various proposals that required the two states to compromise and reach an agreement to ensure they reached a solution that was fair to every party. The three primary compromises that were made were the Three-Fifth Compromise, the Great Compromise, and the Electoral College. All these compromises were vital in getting the solution to the Equal Representation with the later focusing on the issues of nationality requirement. The compromises were aimed to ensure that the two states solved the issues of equal representation and that there were no elements of unfairness in the issues of politics and commerce between the states, addressed by the Three-Fifths Compromise.

Works Cited

Bowen, Catherine Drinker. Miracle at philadelphia: The story of the constitutional convention may-September 1787. Back Bay Books, 1986.

Estes, Todd. "The Connecticut effect: The great compromise of 1787 and the history of small state impact on Electoral College outcomes." Historian 73.2 (2011): 255-283.

Pope, Jeremy C., and Shawn Treier. "Reconsidering the Great Compromise at the Federal Convention of 1787: Deliberation and agenda effects on the Senate and slavery." American Journal of Political Science 55.2 (2011): 289-306.

Rakove, Jack N. "The Great Compromise: Ideas, Interests, and the Politics of Constitution Making." The William and Mary Quarterly: A Magazine of Early American History and Culture(1987): 424-457.

Slonim, Shlomo. "The Electoral College at Philadelphia: The evolution of an ad hoc Congress for the selection of a president." The Journal of American History 73.1 (1986): 35-58.