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Common Sense Government eBook: The Constitution

... The Constitution enshrined neither the Virginia nor the New Jersey plans. Instead, in the Great, or Connecticut Compromise, elements from each were adopted for inclusion. The large states got some of what they wanted in the form of the House of Representatives, which is filled according to population. Large states are thus better represented than small states in the lower house. The Senate, on the other hand, was designed to benefit the smaller states. In the upper house, each state is given two Senators, regardless of size. The two legislative chambers, based on two very different representational models, must come to agreement before any legislation can be passed.

Questions:

1. Why do you think each state wanted the government to operate in a way that benefited it? What were they afraid of happening?

2. One of the consequences of the system as it ended up, is that it is harder to get things done in the American government than in most countries. Do you think this is a good thing, or a bad thing?

3. Most constitutions today include a great deal of substance - they enshrine all sorts of rights and promises to the people. The American constitution didn't do this (at least until the Bill of Rights was added). Instead, it is procedural, rather than substantive. What might be some advantages to a procedural, over a substantive constitution?

This reading is an excerpt from Certell's Common Sense Government eBook. Certell offers curriculum materials and eBooks free of charge for use by students and teachers. Click here to download the Common Sense Government materials.

Citation

2018, Jan. 16, Common Sense Government [digital image]. Retrieved from <ebooks.certell.org>.

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Common Sense Government eBook: The Constitution ... The Constitution enshrined neither the Virginia nor the New Jersey plans. Instead, in the Great, or Connecticut Compromise, elements from each were adopted for inclusion. The large states got some of what they wanted in the form of the House of R ...

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The Great Compromise was A meeting of the states, which of those delegates were coming up plans for the National government. There were lots of arguments over the proposals that were made, they were over the big and small states. This did lead to a big deadlock, over the issue of representation. Two of the delegates of Connecticut, Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth came up with the Connecticut Compromise. This was soon called the Great Compromise. What the compromise meant was that the proportional representation in the lower house (House of Representatives) and equal representation of the states in the upper house (Senate). 

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The Great Compromise was A meeting of the states, which of those delegates were coming up plans for the National government. There were lots of arguments over the proposals that were made, they were over the big and small states. This did lead to a big deadlock, over the issue of representation. Two of the delegates of Connecticut, Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth came up with the Connecticut Compromise. This was soon called the Great Compromise. What the compromise meant was that the proportional representation in the lower house (House of Representatives) and equal representation of the states in the upper house (Senate). 