People are equal but their representation within the federal government is unequal because the states are sovereign. The federal government is supposed to do very little. Constitution gives it a few enumerated powers. Everything else is left to the states. However, beginning the the 20th century the feds began to vastly encroach on many areas by abusing the "interstate commerce" clause. For example, the court ruled the fed could limit an individual from growing "too much" wheat on his own property for his own consumption. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickard_v._Filburn. Or perhaps a still existing federal law that prohibits a handgun from being pissed within 1000ft of a school.