Connecticut Compromise (or Great Compromise)

Presented by Roger Sherman at the Constitutional Convention, the Connecticut Compromise, also called the Great Compromise, resolved issues of representation in Congress. It blended the Virginia and New Jersey Plans as a model for representation in the two houses of Congress: states would be represented equally in the Senate, and proportionately in the House of Representatives. Every five slaves would be counted as three persons for purposes of determining population (though this did not give slaves the vote.) All proposed legislation for the purpose of raising money would have to come from the House of Representatives.

The Convention delegates approved the Connecticut Compromise by a one-vote margin, and historians agree that its adoption was crucial to the success of the Convention and the new Constitution.