The Compromise That Gave Congress Two Chambers

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The Compromise That Gave Congress Two Chambers

In the summer of 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia. Their job was to design a new national government. They agreed that Congress should make the laws. But they hit a hard question. How should each state be represented? States with the most people said they should have more votes. The laws would affect them the most. Smaller states were afraid. They thought they would lose every vote and have no real voice.

The fight went on for weeks. Some delegates worried the meeting would fail. At last, a committee found an answer that gave each side something it wanted. Congress would have two chambers. In the House of Representatives, each state would get seats based on its population. Larger states would have more members. In the Senate, every state would have two members, big or small.

This plan is often called the Connecticut Compromise. Delegates from that state helped to shape it. Under the plan, a bill must pass both the House and the Senate to become a law. A large state cannot ignore the small ones. A group of small states cannot ignore the large ones.

Nobody got everything. Neither side had total control, so both were willing to accept the Constitution. Compromise is not always weakness. Here, it made a lasting government possible.

Questions

1. Where and when did the delegates meet?
2. What did the states with the most people want?
3. How are Senate seats decided?
4. What must happen before a bill becomes a law?
5. Why were the smaller states afraid of the larger states' plan?
6. Why does the passage say compromise is not always weakness?

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Name ____________________▲

The Compromise That Gave Congress Two Chambers

In the summer of 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to design a new national government. They agreed that Congress should make the laws, but they quickly ran into a hard question: how should each state be represented? The states with the most people argued that they should have more votes, because they would be affected by the laws the most. The smaller states feared that they would be outvoted every time and would have no real voice.

The disagreement lasted for weeks, and some delegates worried that the meeting would fail. Eventually a committee worked out an answer that gave each side something it wanted. Congress would have two chambers. In the House of Representatives, each state would have a number of seats based on its population, so larger states would have more members. In the Senate, every state would have two members, no matter how large or small it was.

This plan is often called the Connecticut Compromise, because delegates from that state were among those who helped to shape it. Under the plan, a bill must pass both the House and the Senate before it can become a law. A large state cannot ignore the small ones, and a group of small states cannot ignore the large ones.

Nobody got everything. The result was a design in which neither side had total control, and that made both willing to accept the Constitution. Compromise is not always a sign of weakness. In this case, it made a lasting government possible.

Questions

1. Where and when did the delegates meet to design a new government?
2. What did the states with the most people want?
3. How are the seats in the Senate decided?
4. What must happen before a bill can become a law?
5. Why did the smaller states fear the plan of the larger ones?
6. Why does the passage say compromise is not always a sign of weakness?

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Name ____________________■

The Compromise That Gave Congress Two Chambers

In the summer of 1787, delegates from the various states gathered in Philadelphia to design a new national government. They agreed without much difficulty that Congress ought to make the laws, but they soon collided with a stubborn question: how should each state be represented? The states with the largest populations insisted that they deserved more votes, since the laws would affect their citizens the most. The smaller states feared that they would be outvoted on every issue and would be left without any meaningful voice.

The dispute dragged on for weeks, and a number of delegates worried that the entire convention might collapse. Eventually a committee devised a solution that gave each side a portion of what it wanted. Congress would be divided into two chambers. In the House of Representatives, each state would receive a number of seats based on its population, so that larger states would have more members. In the Senate, every state would be given two members, regardless of how large or small it happened to be.

This arrangement is often called the Connecticut Compromise, because delegates from that state were among those who helped to shape it. Under the plan, a bill must pass both the House and the Senate before it can become law. A large state cannot disregard the small ones, and a coalition of small states cannot disregard the large ones.

Nobody received everything he or she wanted. The outcome was a design in which neither side held total control, and that balance made both willing to accept the Constitution. Compromise is not always a sign of weakness. In this case, it made a lasting government possible.

Questions

1. Where and when did the delegates gather to design a new government?
2. What did the states with the largest populations insist on?
3. How are the seats in the Senate determined?
4. What must happen before a bill can become law?
5. Why did the smaller states fear the plan favored by the larger ones?
6. Why does the passage claim that compromise is not always a sign of weakness?

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Answer key: The Compromise That Gave Congress Two Chambers

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