How Our Republic Became a Demiceracy

[Keith Broaders]

The most hotly contested debate at the Constitutional Convention was over how the people would be represented in Congress.

The Virginia Plan proposed by James Madison provided that representation of the states would be based on their respective populations,

The small states rejected his proposal and insisted  that each state be equally represented. 

Roger Sherma, rge delegate from Connecticut proposed the creation of a bicameral legislature with one chamber to represent the people and a second chamber to equally represent the states in the senate.

This compromise prevented the majority of people  in the large states from completely dominating the small states.  

This important check and balance was established to prevent a tyranny of a democracy 

If the representatatives and the senators were both directly elected by the people our republic would become a democracy.

In order to guarantee that the states would always be equally represented in the senate a provision in Article V mandates that no state shall be denied its equal suffrage in the senate without their consent.

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[Keith Broaders]