The Constitutional Convention and Centralization: A Chronology

In high school civics class, I was taught that the most divisive issue at the Constitutional Convention was between large states, that wanted representation to be proportionate to population, and the small states that wanted all states to have an equal number of representatives.  The issue was finally resolved with the Great Compromise -- proportional representation in the House; equal representation in the Senate and from then on all quickly resolved.

This account is not exactly false, but it is incomplete.  As discussed in my previous post, initially the large states backed the more centralized Virginia Plan and small states, fearing that the new government would be dominated by large states, supported the less centralized New Jersey Plan. Charles Pinckney of South Carolina was dismissive of their stated concerns for state sovereignty, saying, "Give N. Jersey an equal vote, and she will dismiss her scruples, and concur in the Natil. system."  So it turned out to be.  Connecticut switched votes to support the Virginia Plan in late June, and from then on the controversy was over whether representation would be by population or by states.  The Great Compromise was first proposed by John Dickinson of Delaware about a week into the Convention.  No one paid much attention at the time, but he does deserve credit for being the first to make the suggestion.  Representation by population was adopted on June 29, about ten days after adopting the Virginia Plan, and remained uncontroversial from then on.  But the issue of representation in the Senate remained bitterly contested, threatening to derail the entire convention, with large states holding out for some alternative to full equality of states in the Senate, and small states refusing to budge.

The break finally came on July 16, when Edmund Randolph proposed that the Convention "adjourn."  William Paterson took this to mean ending the Convention altogether and confessing to failure.  Randolph then backed off, assuring him that he meant only to adjourn for the day to discuss matters off the record.  Meeting in private, it became clear that the small states believed they had made all the concessions that could be made and that they would not yield on this point as well.  The large states then backed down, and the Great Compromise was unofficially reached.  The next day, the delegates changed the subject to allow heated tempers to cool.  A week later, Gouveneur Morris of Pennsylvania and Rufus King of Massachusetts, both large state delegates who had opposed equal representation in the Senate, jointly proposed that each state have an equal number of Senators, but that they vote individually.  (Under the Articles of Confederation, voting had been by states).  Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut endorsed voting individually, and the spirit of amity covered all.  The Great Compromise had been reached.  Small state resistance to a strong central government ended, and small state representatives became the leading supporters of a strong federal government.  Debate continued for another two months -- partly on what specific powers the central government should have, and especially over how to choose a President.  But the Convention was never again in serious danger of failing altogether.