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Difficulty: Very hardStructure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

"But in relation to the sources from which the ordinary powers of government are to be derived, the House of Representatives will draw its powers immediately from the people of America; and the people will be represented in the same proportion, and on the same principle, as they are in the legislature of a particular State. So far the government is national, not federal. The Senate, on the other hand, will derive its powers from the States, as political and coequal societies; and these will be represented on the principle of equality in the Senate, as they now are in the existing Congress. So far the government is federal, not national."

—Publius (James Madison), Federalist No. 39, 1788

Which of the following statements best explains how the structural design described in the excerpt sought to resolve a major debate during the Constitutional Convention?

  1. It created a dual system of representation that satisfied both proponents of national popular sovereignty and defenders of state-level autonomy.Answer
  2. B
    It restored the legislative supremacy of state assemblies as originally structured under the Articles of Confederation to check federal power.
  3. C
    It enacted a strict division of power that prohibited the national government from directly taxing individuals without state legislative consent.
  4. D
    It reflected a compromise between Hamilton's faction, which favored state sovereignty, and Jefferson's faction, which argued for a consolidated national union.

Answer

It created a dual system of representation that satisfied both proponents of national popular sovereignty and defenders of state-level autonomy.
The option describing the dual system of representation is correct because it accurately summarizes the Great Compromise. By creating a bicameral legislature, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention satisfied the large states' demand for proportional representation (based on population) in the House of Representatives and the small states' demand for equal representation (two senators per state) in the Senate. This successfully balanced national popular sovereignty with the preservation of state-level political power.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus text to identify the core historical debate.
The text discusses the contrasting structures of the House of Representatives (national, representing the people directly based on population) and the Senate (federal, representing the states equally).
This dual representation structure is the key feature of the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) at the 1787 Constitutional Convention.
2
Assess the political conflicts during the Constitutional Convention regarding legislative representation.
Large states favored the Virginia Plan (proportional representation), while small states favored the New Jersey Plan (equal representation per state).
Resolving this conflict was essential to securing the ratification of the Constitution by all states.
3
Evaluate the options against the historical context and the core principles of federalism.
The correct option must state how the bicameral structure balanced popular sovereignty (national) with state-level equality (federal). The option describing the dual system of representation directly reflects this balance.
Other options mischaracterize the differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, or misrepresent the ideological stances of the Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian factions.

Key Concept

Structure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution
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Topics

Structure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

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