1) That was the exact and expressed intent of the founders. The southern states were concerned that they would be overwhelmed by northern states with large cities like NY, Phila and Boston. So they conceived the idea of two senators from every state, no matter what it's size (and, btw, the senators were elected by the state legislatures, not the people for many, many years) and an electoral college which would give them more equal footing with their larger northern neighbors....kind of one of the reasons for the Civil War, actually. In fact, the founders didn't even want "ordinary people" voting for the President...only white, land owners. Read the Federalist Papers.
Gerrymandering is a separate issue. It is a matter of political "convenience" that has benefited the left and the right over the years, depending on the time and the location.