Small, Large, and In Between

 At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, 13 nation-states were trying to create a new form of government that would allow all 13 states to ratify and become the "United States of America."  They would be giving up some of their sovereignty once the new national government was created.

Thus, if a union were to be achieved, the Constitution had to work for each of the original 13 states, whether large,small, or in between. Gunning Bedford, a delegate from the smallest state, Delaware, was concerned that the large states were seeking "an enormous and monstrous influence" by their proposals for representation in the new government. As he put it, the three largest states "form nearly a majority of the people of America" and he did not trust them to not to "hurt or injure the lesser states." 

What was he worried about? How did the Constitution respond to this fear and create a government that all 13 states could create?

Are these compromises among the different states now obsolete?

Suppose the Constitution has an expiration date (as Jefferson wanted) and that it was due to expire on December 31, 2024. Once it expired, there would be no more United States; rather, we would have 50 separate nation-states, some small, some large, some deep red, some deep blue, some purple. The 50 newly-independent nation-states have very different and often inconsistent value systems and visions of the good life.

At the Constitutional Convention of 2024, how would we write a new constitution that would be acceptable to all 50 states? 

If you were a delegate from a large, blue state such as California or New York, what would you demand as the price for your support for ratification? If you were a delegate from a small, rural red state, such as Wyoming, or South Dakota, or Nebraska, what would you demand as the price of your support for ratification? How likely is it that a compromise could be achieved to enable all 50 states to be united under a ratified constitution? 

What would happen if all the king's horses and all the king's could not put the United States back together again.