The debate between big and small states during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was about how the states would be represented in Congress. The large states wanted representation based on population, while the small states wanted equal representation by state. This issue blocked the proceedings for many weeks, and several proposals were made, including the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, was proposed by Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth. It provided for a bicameral federal legislature that used a dual system of representation: the upper house would have equal representation from each state, while the lower house would have proportional representation based on a state’s population. The compromise was adopted on July 16, 1787, by a vote of five states to four, and served not only to save the crumbling convention but also provided stimulus. The Connecticut Compromise has worked for more than 200 years, and Senate representation was explicitly protected in Article Five of the United States Constitution.