What is the purpose of the Connecticut Compromise?

The purpose of the Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, was to combine elements of both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, which were two competing proposals for legislative representation during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Virginia Plan favored representation based on population, which would benefit larger states, while the New Jersey Plan proposed equal representation for all states, regardless of size.

The Connecticut Compromise established a bicameral legislature consisting of two houses: the House of Representatives, where representation would be based on population, thus favoring larger states, and the Senate, where each state would have equal representation with two senators, benefiting smaller states. This compromise was crucial in balancing the interests of both large and small states, ultimately leading to the successful drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

The other options reflect different concepts or proposals that are not related to the structure of legislative representation that the Connecticut Compromise addressed. Therefore, recognizing the compromise's role in merging these two approaches is key to understanding its significance in American governmental structure.