What is another name commonly used for the Great Compromise?

• A. The Connecticut Compromise
• B. The Virginia Plan
• C. The New Jersey Plan
• D. The Articles of Confederation

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that the Great Compromise blended two competing plans to shape the structure of Congress. It is most commonly known as the Connecticut Compromise because it emerged from the debates in Connecticut and was proposed by Roger Sherman of that state. This compromise combined the Virginia Plan’s idea of proportional representation in a lower house with the New Jersey Plan’s idea of equal representation in a upper house, resulting in a bicameral Congress: the House of Representatives would be based on population, while the Senate would have two members from each state. This solution satisfied both large states seeking representation by population and small states wanting equal representation, making it the standard reference for the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention. The other choices refer to the Virginia Plan (a plan for representation based on population), the New Jersey Plan (equal representation for states but a different framework), or the Articles of Confederation (the earlier governing document), none of which are the widely used name for the compromise.