THE GREAT COMPROMISE
October 8, 2018
Prayer: Dear Lord, we want to be able to compromise for the greater good of the most people when necessary and stand firm on Your values. Please give us wisdom to know what we need to do. Thank you. Amen.
Scripture: Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. Psalm 119:2-3 NLT
The Grand Convention – now known as the Constitutional Convention convened in May 1787 to discuss problems with the current government document, the Articles of Confederation. The result of this Convention was a new form of government based on a new document, the Constitution.
Delegates from all over the colonies attended, and they struggled with competing concerns of large-population states and small-population states. The delegates from the states with larger population did not like the “New Jersey plan.” They thought that it was unfair for states with larger populations to receive the same representation in Congress as the states with smaller populations. Because more people were represented, their views should be represented by more representatives in Congress.
The delegates from the states with smaller population did not like the “Virginia plan.” They thought that it was unfair for states with larger populations to receive more representation in Congress than the states with smaller populations. Just because a state had more people did not mean that they should have more power in Congress than states with fewer people.
Roger Sherman, a delegate from Connecticut, provided the answer. He offered a deal that he thought both sides would like. This was called the Connecticut Compromise, or the Great Compromise. His plan created the structure for the Federal Government that still exists in this country today. His plan created a Congress with two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The number of members of the House would be based on the population of each state. The Senate would have two members from each state, with each Senator being elected by state legislatures. Both sides got some of what they wanted. The large states were happy because they got more members in the House of Representatives. The small states were happy because they got equal representation in the Senate. The large states were also happy because the House of Representatives was the only house of Congress that could write bills to create taxes. The small states were also happy because in all other respects, the two houses of Congress were equal. (And in fact, the Senate was called the upper house.)
Now many, if not all of you already knew the history of “The Great Compromise.” Did you know the “Grand Convention took four months? Can you imagine leaving your home and family back in the days of no cell phones and faxes for a meeting and not coming home for four months? This was no quick fix, months of arguing and meetings took place before the compromise was approved.
In the end, when the Constitution was signed by most of the delegates on September 17, 1787, everyone felt like they had “won.” Compromise is defined as: meet halfway, concede, give and take, bargain or deal. In life, there are definite times when we compromise. If I want to drive up to Estes Park with the family for the day but my husband wants to go golfing, we compromise. He plays golf early in the morning and we drive up to Estes Park after lunch.
Other times we are asked to compromise and it is the same as asking us to sin. We are sometimes asked to compromise what we are taught in the Bible as right and wrong, to “let something slide” or be “politically correct.” How often do you compromise? What do you compromise? Do you find your students or family trying to bargain with you over homework or other responsibilities?
What do you think of when I say the word, “Tolerance?” Do you ever feel like you are being asked to compromise your beliefs and values? Do you compromise? What do you refuse to compromise? What are the costs of not compromising? Have you ever compromised and later regretted it? Are you still regretting it? What do you see your students compromising these days? Why? What do they think they are gaining? What are they really losing? My prayer for you is that you would know when not to compromise.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]