Why Every State Gets Two Senators

At the 1787 Convention, large states wanted representation proportional to population, small states wanted equality, and the convention nearly broke apart. Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut proposed the compromise: proportional representation in the House, equal representation in the Senate.

The deal also tied Senate seats to ratification of the Constitution itself, which is why Article Five declares that no state can be deprived of equal suffrage in the Senate without its consent. Today the gap between the largest and smallest states is far wider than in 1787, and the rule remains the Constitution’s hardest to change..