Sherman's Great Compromise

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There were a plethora of decisions during the Continental Convention of 1787 which helped construct the United States of America that we have today. The participant who had the greatest impact on the convention other than James Madison, is a delegate called Roger Sherman. He was a very influential person who had many accomplishments, among these were: being a well-respected politician, a lawyer who earned his degree from Yale University, a Connecticut senator, a Newton County surveyor, an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, and a member of the Continental Congress. All of these things, would help shape the man who would forever change the United States of America.

According to Thomas Kindig in the article, Signers of the Declaration of Independence; Sherman was one of the most outspoken and persistent members in the convention. In Madison’s notes, he is credited with approximately one hundred and thirty-eight speeches in where he preached strongly about federalism. He proposed what is presently known as “The Great Compromise” or “The Connecticut Compromise”. With his compromise, he shaped our government and steered America towards becoming the large world power that it is today.

On May 25, 1787 in a State House in Philadelphia, fifty-five delegates from twelve out of the thirteen colonies re-united, in efforts to modify the ineffective Articles of Confederation. This meeting was called the Continental Convention of 1787. After the Articles of Confederation, it was clear that a unicameral legislature was not going to uphold the needs of all the states, to maintain and unify them. Many ideas arose to offer a solution for the controversial debate on how many representatives each state should have in the U.S. Congress. The ...

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...lem, Thomas R. “Sherman’s Great Compromise: Roger Sherman’s brilliant proposal saved the 1787 Constitutional Convention from a hopeless deadlock and safeguarded against centralization of power at the federal level.” The New American. Long View Publications, 28 June 2004. Web. 29 June 2011.

Kindig, Thomas. “Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Short Biographies on each of the 56 Declaration Signers.” Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 2011. Web. 26 June 2011.

Longley, Robert. “The Great Compromise of 1787: A congress created.” About.com. New York Times Company, 2011. Web. 29 June 2011.

Mount, Steve. “The United States Constitution”. USConstitution.net. Craig Walenta, 3 Jan 2011. Web. 29 June 2011.

State of Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries. “Roger Sherman and The Connecticut Compromise”. Jud.ct.gov. n.p, 2011. Web. 29 June 2011.

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