The Great Compromise: The Causes Of The Great Compromise

Superior Essays
The Great Compromise
Before the Great compromise, articles of confederation were weak, the states wanted representation and, there was no form of strong government. Federalism, the enlightenment, and natural rights were all ideas that shaped The great compromise. The Virginia plan and the New Jersey plan were presented in the constitutional convention which soon led to The great compromise. The great compromise between Virginia and New Jersey was one of the biggest compromises that impacted the articles of confederation and contributed in the making of the constitution, by developing the legislative structure, giving states the representation they wanted, and providing a stronger central government.
The articles of confederation were weak. They didn’t establish a proper form of government and no one liked them. The articles of confederation led to no money, a weak central government, quarrelling states, boundary and border disputes, and no military leadership. The articles of confederation accumulated all power in one assembly rather than distributing power. “... Articles did not establish a genuinely republican government.
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“On July 16, the convention adopted the Great compromise by a heart-stopping margin of one vote. As the 1987 celebrants duly noted, without that vote, there would likely have been no constitution” ( ). Which also led to the development of the legislative structure, a long term effect of the Great Compromise. The Legislative structure was a bicameral legislature. This bicameral legislature consists of a senate in which the representation of states is equal and it also consisted of a House of Representatives in which representation was based on population in addition to 3/5ths of the slave population. States who had slaves were guaranteed the right to count slaves as part of their population. This was known as the 3/5ths

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