So I guess I said the preceding to say this: THE most important issue at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was creating a more effective national government than we had had in the immediate past. There were other issues, yes, but the reason the Convention was called in the first place was because the Articles of Confederation were flawed and the government which operated under those articles was paralyzed. Since the Articles of Confederation could not be repaired, they had to be replaced.

I believe the central compromise probably refers to the two houses in the legislative branch, where the House of Rep apportions according to population while the Senate makes all states equal, two votes each regardless of population.