The Connecticut Compromise created equal state representation in the Senate and population-based representation in the House in 1787.
Also called the Great Compromise or Sherman Compromise, it resolved a major dispute at the Constitutional Convention. Large states favored representation based on population, while smaller states feared losing influence in a legislature where votes followed population.
The agreement kept a bicameral Congress. Each state would receive two senators, while seats in the House of Representatives would be apportioned according to population. This structure balanced state equality in one chamber with population in the other.
The compromise was reached on July 16, 1787, after weeks of disagreement. It should not be confused with the Three-Fifths Compromise, which addressed how enslaved people would be counted for representation and taxation. The Connecticut Compromise concerned the basic design of Congress itself.