What compromise was made to balance the representation of large and small states in Congress?

What compromise was made to balance the representation of large and small states in Congress?

• A. The Three-Fifths Compromise
• B. The Great Compromise
• C. The New Jersey Plan
• D. The Virginia Plan

Answer: (B)

Resolving how states of different sizes are represented in Congress. The Great Compromise created a two-house legislature: representatives in the House would be based on population, giving larger states more seats, while the Senate would have two senators per state, ensuring that smaller states had an equal voice. This blends the Virginia Plan’s population-based idea with the New Jersey Plan’s equal-state idea, allowing both large and small states to have influence in lawmaking. The other options address related issues but not this balance. The Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with counting enslaved people for representation and taxation, not how representation is allocated between large and small states. The New Jersey Plan advocated equal representation but didn’t establish a bicameral structure, and the Virginia Plan pushed for representation by population without ensuring equal state voice. The Great Compromise uniquely combines both approaches to solve the representation dilemma.

Resolving how states of different sizes are represented in Congress. The Great Compromise created a two-house legislature: representatives in the House would be based on population, giving larger states more seats, while the Senate would have two senators per state, ensuring that smaller states had an equal voice. This blends the Virginia Plan’s population-based idea with the New Jersey Plan’s equal-state idea, allowing both large and small states to have influence in lawmaking.

The other options address related issues but not this balance. The Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with counting enslaved people for representation and taxation, not how representation is allocated between large and small states. The New Jersey Plan advocated equal representation but didn’t establish a bicameral structure, and the Virginia Plan pushed for representation by population without ensuring equal state voice. The Great Compromise uniquely combines both approaches to solve the representation dilemma.