The Great Compromise
The 13 Colonies Argue about Representation in Congress
How should small and large states be represented in Congress?
Well, Virginia came up with a plan that said that representation should be based upon population, which would be good for the people living in Virginia. But New Jersey, one of the smaller states, argued that this was unfair, because it would make larger states more powerful. So, New Jersey offered a plan that would cause all states to get an equal amount of vote in Congress. In the end, the two states came up with the Great Compromise ( the states gave up some of what they wanted, to get what they both wanted). They decided to have two houses; the lower house (the house of representatives) and the upper house (the Senate). The House of representatives, would be based upon population, and the Senate would be based upon equal votes by state.