What is the most important compromise in the Constitution?

Asked by: Prof. Franz Yundt  |  Last update: March 2, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (75 votes)

Called the “Great Compromise” or the “Connecticut Compromise,” this unique plan for congressional representation resolved the most controversial aspect of the drafting of the Constitution.

What is the most important compromise in the Constitution Why?

Great Compromise

Also known as the Connecticut Compromise, a major compromise at the Constitutional Convention that created a two-house legislature, with the Senate having equal representation for all states and the House of Representatives having representation proportional to state populations.

What was the great constitutional compromise?

The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or Sherman Compromise, was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution.

Which compromise was crucial in the creation of the Constitution?

The United States Constitution was adopted as a result of the Great Compromise, which addressed a crucial issue during the Constitutional Convention. All states had an equal voice in Congress because it established a structure for the legislative branch that balanced the interests of larger and smaller states.

Why is 3.5 and not 1/2 compromise?

Southern states had wanted representation apportioned by population; after the Virginia Plan was rejected, the Three-Fifths Compromise seemed to guarantee that the South would be strongly represented in the House of Representatives and would have disproportionate power in electing Presidents.

Compromises in the Constitution

33 related questions found

Is the Three-Fifths Compromise still in the Constitution?

In the United States Constitution, the Three-fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3.

Why didn't Rhode Island support the 3 5 compromise?

There were several reasons for Rhode Island's resistance including its concern that the Constitution gave too much power to the central government at the expense of the states. The Constitution would also have made the state's practice of printing paper money illegal.

Did compromise make the U.S. Constitution stronger or weaker?

7 Perhaps historians thought the compromise increased support for a stronger national government because the convention proposed more motions, including motions to strengthen the national government, after than before.

What statement about the 3-5 compromise is accurate?

Thus, option D) "The Three-Fifths Compromise was a temporary solution to a long-term political issue" is indeed an accurate statement regarding this compromise.

What legislative compromise allowed the U.S. Constitution to be approved?

In the end, they settled on the Great Compromise (sometimes called the Connecticut Compromise), in which the House of Representatives would represent the people as apportioned by population; the Senate would represent the states apportioned equally; and the President would be elected by the Electoral College.

Who is the father of the constitution?

James Madison, America's fourth President (1809-1817), made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.”

Which states voted against the Great Compromise?

The vote results:
  • Five states, yes—Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and North Carolina (Spaight, no)
  • Four states, no—Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia.
  • One state divided—Massachusetts (Gerry and Strong, yes; King and Gorham, no)

Why does every state have two senators?

On July 23, Gouvernuer Morris of New York proposed that each state have three senators, but George Mason of Virginia and others worried that as new states entered the union this would lead to an overly large Senate. The Convention approved two senators per state by unanimous vote.

Where is the Great Compromise in the Constitution?

S1.2.3 The Great Compromise of the Constitutional Convention. Article I, Section 1: All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

What is an example of a compromise?

A compromise is a way of settling differences by everybody making concessions. If you want to stay out until 10 and your friend wants to stay out until midnight, 11 is a good compromise. Compromise comes from the Latin compromissum, which means "mutual promise." It can be a noun or a verb.

Why was the compromise important?

Why was the Missouri Compromise so important to the Senate? It maintained a delicate balance between free and slave states. On the single most divisive issue of the day, the U.S. Senate was equally divided. If the slavery question could be settled politically, any such settlement would have to happen in the Senate.

Are black people still considered 3-5?

It's out of date. Slaves (black people) in the US *were* counted as 3/5 of a free (white) person before and during the Civil War. When slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War, each free male citizen of the US counted as one person (for establishing the number of representatives a state had in Congress).

Why is the Three-Fifths Compromise important today?

Though this law was officially repealed with the passing of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, the Three-Fifths Compromise stands today as an important reminder of how even supposedly objective measures, such as a simple count of the people that live in a country, can be warped by the prejudices of a dominant culture.

What is the difference between the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise?

Both compromises dealt with the representation of states in Congress. The Great Compromise settled the disputes between large and sparsely populated states involving Congressional representation, while the Three-Fifths Compromise allowed southern states to count slaves towards representation.

Which compromise was the most important to the Constitution?

Called the “Great Compromise” or the “Connecticut Compromise,” this unique plan for congressional representation resolved the most controversial aspect of the drafting of the Constitution.

What are the 4 compromises of the Constitution?

There were four main compromises that were necessary in order to adopt and ratify the Constitution. These compromises were the Great (Connecticut) Compromise, Electoral College, Three-Fifths Compromise, and Compromise on the importation of slaves.

What disagreement was settled by the Three-Fifths Compromise?

The Three-Fifths Compromise resolved the dispute over whether enslaved people should be counted for both congressional representation and taxation, with each slave counted as three-fifths of a person.

What word is not found in the Constitution?

Most people, including most Americans, would be surprised to learn that the word “democracy” does not appear in the Declaration of Independence (1776) or the Constitution of the United States of America (1789).

Who is responsible for keeping slavery legal in the Constitution?

This delegation of a certain power to Congress placed an aspect of the institution of slavery squarely into the hands of the general government — the Union government — meaning the Constitution would have to say something about that policy.

Are there 55 founding fathers?

In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution.