In 1787, states sent representatives to Philadelphia to revise the . But after the representatives arrived, they realized they w
ould have to completely change the national government, which meant that they had many things to deal with in creating a new government. A major difference quickly arose between states with small populations and states with large populations. One plan for the new government was known as the . It suggested that the convention should create a government that would consist of 3 branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. The (known as Congress) would consist of two houses, and each state would get representatives based on their population: the more people in a state, the more representatives they’d get. States with populations liked this. But states with populations did not like it. They felt like they would have less power than larger states. They submitted their own plan, which became known as the Plan. It also called for a government with 3 branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. But their plan called for a 1-house Congress with each state having representation, regardless of their population. And of course, the states with large populations didn’t like this. But Roger Sherman from Connecticut offered a compromise, a plan which is now known as either the Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise. It turned out that it created the very government we have to this day. It created a 3-branch government: an executive branch headed by a , a Federal judiciary- with a of the country- and a 2-house Congress: 1 based on population- the U.S. House of Representatives- and 1 in which each state, regardless of their population, would receive 2 members- the U.S Senate. This is a great example of that very important word- : both sides got some of what they wanted, but gave up a little something to get it.
Democracy, The United States, under its Constitution, is a federal, represent- ative, democratic republic, an indivisible union of 50 sovereign States.
