The Great Compromise

In May 1787, fifty-five delegates from eleven of the thirteen American states assembled in Philadelphia. Their goal was to revise the current government created by the Articles of Confederation, which had been in effect since 1781. The Articles had created a weak alliance among the states. The national government had no way to levy taxes or regulate commerce. The delegates who were in attendance at the Philadelphia convention had come in general agreement that there were defects …

…adopted with five states voting in favor of it, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina, four voting against it, Georgia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia, and two not voting, Massachusetts and New York. After major concessions, the Great Compromise had reconciled the interests of the small and large states. The margin by which the Compromise was accepted was thin, but over time, most of the delegates from the dissenting states accepted the agreement.