What compromise created the two-house Congress at the 1787 Constitutional Convention?

The Connecticut Compromise created the two-house Congress at the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

Also called the Great Compromise, it resolved a dispute between large and small states over representation. The Virginia Plan favored representation based on population, while the New Jersey Plan favored equal representation for each state.

The compromise created a bicameral legislature. Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on state population, while every state would have two senators regardless of size. This structure remains a defining feature of the United States government.

Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut played important roles in proposing the arrangement. The compromise did not settle every disagreement at the convention; questions involving slavery, executive power, and commerce required separate agreements. Its central bargain, however, made broader agreement on the Constitution possible.