(lively music) - [Narrator] How did Roger Sherman prevent a deadlock during the 1787 Constitutional Convention?

From humble beginnings, Sherman became a successful merchant, surveyor, and self-taught lawyer, eventually propelling himself into politics and public service.

Sherman is the only founding father to sign all four American revolutionary documents: The Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.

During the Constitutional Convention, a debate broke out over how to ensure Congress had power over the states without becoming a single legislative body with unchecked and concentrated power.

Out of several proposals, Sherman's broke the deadlock with the Connecticut Compromise, which created a dual system of Congress, the Senate, equal representation from each state, and the House of Representatives, population-based representation, and balance legislative power between large and small states.