The Great Compromise: A Comparative Analysis

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The supporters of proportional representation (James Madison, James Wilson, and Rufus King) argued that the number of members in both houses should be based on the number of people that they would represent. Since government both acted and represented the people, they believe that the government should give equal voting power to an equal number of people. Madison argues that the states should not be represented as states in national gov. (each representative should serve a district and connect the people of that district to the national government). Others argued for equal representation of the states (as in Articles of Confederation). These delegates believe that U.S. was confederation of separate states, and the national government derived …show more content…

The Great Compromise contained these ideas: (1) The House of Representatives should be elected by the people on the basis of proportional representation (Article I, Section 2); (2) There should be equal representation of each state in the Senate, and each state legislature should select two senators (Article I, Section 3); and (3) The House of Representation should have the power to develop all bills for taxation and gov. spending (Article I, Section 7), and Senate should be limited to accepting/rejecting these bills (this provision later was changed to permit the Senate to amend tax bills developed in the House and to develop appropriations bills). Obviously each side gained a little and lost a little. The Great Compromise addresses the problem of representation by stating that the House of Representatives would use proportional representation and the senate would use equal representation. The Great Compromise did not address the discussion of how representatives would be appointed in the House of Reps, and specifically, whether enslaved persons should be counted when apportioning representative to the

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