This is truly the story of the U.S. from the beginning, dating back at least to the Articles of Confederation[1] and becoming even more noticeable in the debates that led to the Constitution with the 3/5ths compromise, then the Missouri Compromise, and Bleeding Kansas.
It’s been all about that balance of power (between rich white guys) ever since before the beginning. What’s really interesting is that as much as things have changed over almost a quarter of a millenium, political power remains so closely balanced that with completely different parties dealing with completely different issues, we still remain fairly close to an even balance regardless of what’s current.
[1] Jefferson’s proposal for a Senate to represent the states and a House to represent the people was rejected, but a similar proposal was adopted later in the United States Constitution. One issue of debate was large states wanting a larger say, nullified by small states who feared tyranny. – Second Continental Congress - Wikipedia
