U.S. Capitol Building. Martin Falbisoner, Wikimedia Commons.

The Greater Compromise was the result of the debate between large states and smaller ones.  Larger states wanted the legislative branch to have the number of state representatives to be based off of population, while the smaller states wanted each state to have the same number of representatives. After going back and forth between the two, the greater compromise came about. The Senate and House of Representatives were born.

With the creation of the state of West Virginia, the Senate would have to welcome two more congressmen to their sessions. As for the House of Representatives, there was a more significant change. The total number of representatives did not change and remained at 435. However, the new state of West Virginia resulted in the redistribution of the number of representatives for each state. Some states lost power, while others gained it.

This was not the last time Congress changed. In 1959, both Hawaii and Alaska were admitted as states into the United States. The number of Senators increased by four to have a round total of one-hundred. Of course, the distribution for the House of Representatives also changed based on the population of these states.