What compromise created equal state representation in the U.S. Senate and population-based representation in the House?

The Connecticut Compromise created equal state representation in the U.S. Senate and population-based representation in the House of Representatives.

Delegates debated the structure of Congress during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Virginia Plan favored representation based largely on population, which appealed to large states. The New Jersey Plan favored equal voting power for each state, protecting smaller states from domination by their larger neighbors.

The Connecticut delegation, especially Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth, helped bridge the dispute. The agreement established a two-chamber legislature: every state would have two senators, while representation in the House would be based on population.

The proposal was also called the Great Compromise. A committee presented its report on July 5, 1787, and the arrangement became part of the constitutional structure. It remains the reason that California and Wyoming, despite their very different populations, each have two U.S. senators.