Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumThe Constitutional Convention and Ratification Debates

"The little States are to be hotchpotch [thrown together] in the common mass... I do not, gentlemen, trust you. If you possess the power, the abuse of it could not be prevented. ... Will not these three large States [Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts] combine? And if they do, what will become of the feeble ones?"
— Gunning Bedford Jr., Delaware delegate, speech at the Constitutional Convention, 1787

Which of the following historical developments during the Constitutional Convention directly resolved the conflict described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The adoption of a unicameral system that required a unanimous vote of all states to pass major legislation.
  2. B
    The agreement to count three-fifths of the enslaved population for the purpose of congressional representation.
  3. The creation of a bicameral legislature where representation in one house was based on population and the other was equal for all states.Answer
  4. D
    The promise to add a Bill of Rights to limit the authority of the newly created federal executive branch.

Answer

The correct answer is the creation of a bicameral legislature where representation in one house was based on population and the other was equal for all states.
The correct option describes the Great Compromise (also known as the Connecticut Compromise), which resolved the debate between large states (who supported the Virginia Plan for proportional representation) and small states (who supported the New Jersey Plan for equal representation) by establishing a bicameral Congress: a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation for all states.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the core concern of the speaker.
The speaker, Gunning Bedford Jr. representing Delaware, expresses a fear that larger states (Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts) will combine to dominate smaller states if representation is based solely on state population.
Understanding the context of the large-state versus small-state debate at the Constitutional Convention is necessary to identify the correct compromise.
2
Evaluate which compromise at the Constitutional Convention addressed this specific representation conflict.
The Great (Connecticut) Compromise established a bicameral legislature: the House of Representatives based on proportional representation and the Senate based on equal representation.
This structure directly protected small states from being dominated by larger ones while satisfying the large states' demand for proportional power.

Key Concept

The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) resolved debates over legislative representation between large and small states.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

The Constitutional Convention and Ratification Debates

More questions from this topic