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Question 28 of 128 · American Government · System of Government

Why does each state have two senators?

Accepted answers

  • Equal representation (for small states)
  • The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.

Why this is the answer

At the Constitutional Convention the large states wanted seats in Congress based on population, and the small states wanted every state to count the same, because otherwise a few big states could outvote all the rest. The agreement, known as the Great Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise, did both: population decides the House, and every state, big or small, gets two senators. So each state has two senators to give the small states equal representation. Memory hook: the House was the big states' win, the Senate was the small states' win.