While drafting the
Constitution, the greatest conflict was over
representation in the
Legislative branch. Large
states such as
Virginia,
new York and
Massachusetts desired one based on
population. Small
states such as
Rhode Island, and
New Jersey wanted an equal amount of reps from
each state. Small
states thought
large states would dominate with a
large number of reps, while large states said
democracy demanded equal representation for each person.
In the end, a bicameral plan was adopted. The House of Representatives was based on population. The Senate had equal for each state. The conflict between large and small states never materialized, either because of the quality of the plan or because of lack of conflict between the goals of the states.