University of Wisconsin Center for the Study of the American Constitution, Connecticut Ratifies the Constitution, 9 January 1788

Connecticut did not do well under the Articles of Confederation. The state had to pay heavy import duties to New York, making it difficult to discharge its war debts and rebuild its economy. Delegates Oliver Ellsworth, William Samuel Johnson, and Roger Sherman went to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia with a directive to create a more effective government. In the debate between large and small states over the issue of legislative representation, the delegation lobbied for the Connecticut Compromise, which created an upper house based on equal representation, the Senate, and a lower house based on proportional representation, the House of Representatives. Back at their state ratifying convention, which Federalists in favor a strong central government firmly controlled, the delegation argued for ratification, reminding members of how the state had suffered under the Articles of Confederation. Connecticut ratified the Constitution by an overwhelming majority on January 9, 1788, and the legislative framework their delegation had proposed remains in place today.