What is the Great Compromise?

• A. Created two houses of Congress: Senate and House
• B. Abolished slavery
• C. Established judicial review
• D. Created a unitary executive

Answer: (A)

The Great Compromise created a bicameral Congress to balance the interests of small and large states. It established two houses: a Senate where each state has two senators, giving equal representation to every state, and a House where representation is based on population, giving larger states more influence. This blends the Virginia Plan’s idea of proportional representation with the New Jersey Plan’s idea of equal state representation, resolving the stalemate at the Constitutional Convention. It’s not about ending slavery, establishing judicial review, or creating a unitary executive.