What constitutional compromise created equal state representation in the United States Senate?

The Connecticut Compromise created equal state representation in the United States Senate.

Agreed during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the compromise combined two competing plans for Congress. The Virginia Plan favored representation based on population, while the New Jersey Plan favored equal representation for each state.

The settlement created a bicameral legislature. Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on population, while every state would have two senators. This arrangement remains a defining feature of the U.S. Constitution and gives small states equal voting strength in the Senate.

The proposal is named for Connecticut, whose delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth supported the arrangement. It is also widely called the Great Compromise. It should not be confused with the Three-Fifths Compromise, which concerned representation and taxation involving enslaved people.