On this day in 1793, Roger Sherman passes away. He is best known as the only person to sign all four Revolutionary-era state documents: the Articles of Association of 1774, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.
His influence was especially felt at the Constitutional Convention, where friction between large and small state delegates threatened to throw the proceedings into turmoil.
The friction among the states was surely unavoidable. After all, each state had operated independently for decades—first as a colony, then as a state under the Articles of Confederation. For all this time, they’d effectively been acting as sovereign nations.
Ceding power to a new union of states would be no easy task.
Small state delegates such as Roger Sherman of Connecticut were especially worried: Would they be constantly bullied by their larger neighbors? Would small state citizens be outvoted time and time again? Would their concerns fall by the wayside, subject to the emotional whims of a tyrannical majority in the more heavily populated states?
Sherman and other small state delegates knew that safeguards were needed. On that point, they would not budge.
The unease between the two sides worsened as the delegates sought to finalize a structure for the new national legislature. Would representation be based on population? Or would states have equal representation, as they had under the Articles of Confederation? No one could agree, and the situation was beginning to deteriorate.
The tension must have been palpable?!?
Indeed, one delegate later described the atmosphere at this juncture, stating that the Convention was “on the verge of dissolution, scarce held together by the strength of a hair.”
Sherman was influential in the compromise that was finally brokered. This “Great Compromise,” as it came to be known, would give small states equal representation in one of the two legislative houses. At the same time, the greater populations in bigger states would be reflected in the other legislative house.
Thus, our Congress is composed of a Senate (one state, one vote representation) and a House (one person, one vote representation).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, similar disagreements had affected the discussions surrounding the presidential election process. Small state delegates opposed the idea of a direct national election for President: Such a system would give the large states a permanent advantage over the small states. “[The people] will generally vote for some man in their own State,” Sherman concluded, “and the largest State will have the best chance for the appointment.”
Notably, the Electoral College, when it was created, reflected the compromises that had already been made in the composition of Congress. The large states would get more electoral votes in the college, reflecting their greater populations. The small states, however, were guaranteed at least three votes, regardless of population. One further concession was made to the small states: In the event of a contingent (back-up) election in the House, each state delegation would have one vote, regardless of size.
The compromise was quite an important gesture by the large states, as many delegates believed that most elections would be resolved in the House.
What would our Constitution have looked like without the influence of a well-respected and thoughtful man like Roger Sherman? “That is Mr. Sherman, of Connecticut, a man who never said a foolish thing in his life,” Thomas Jefferson concluded.
Another little-known member of the founding generation who deserves to be remembered.
More on our Constitutional Convention and the Electoral College can be found in my book, Why We Need the Electoral College.
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