Eleanor Finch
During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, the delegates created two plans for the framework of the United States government: the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, proposed a bicameral national legislature with proportional representation, favouring more populous states. The New Jersey Plan, introduced by William Paterson, proposed a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state. The delegates ultimately adopted a mixed representation plan, known as the Great Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise, which incorporated elements of both plans.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Plans | 2 |
| Plan Names | Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan |
| Presented By | James Madison, Edmund Randolph, William Paterson |
| Legislative Branch | Bicameral (Virginia), Unicameral (New Jersey) |
| Number of Legislative Bodies | 2 (Virginia), 1 (New Jersey) |
| Basis of Representation | Proportional to population (Virginia), Equal (New Jersey) |
| First Legislative Body Members | Directly elected by people of states (Virginia), Appointed by executives (New Jersey) |
| Second Legislative Body Members | Appointed by members of the first body (Virginia) |
| Executive Branch | Yes (Virginia), Yes (New Jersey) |
| Number of Executives | Single (Virginia), Multiple (New Jersey) |
| Method of Appointing Executives | Not specified (Virginia), Appointed by executives (New Jersey) |
| Judicial Branch | Yes (Virginia), Yes (New Jersey) |
| Method of Appointing Judges | Not specified (Virginia), Appointed by executives (New Jersey) |
| Powers | Veto power over state laws (Virginia), Not specified (New Jersey) |
| Articles of Confederation | To be replaced (Virginia), To be revised (New Jersey) |
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What You'll Learn
The Virginia Plan
The first resolution in the Virginia Plan called for enlarging and correcting the Articles of Confederation. The second resolution suggested that the population count for determining representation in government be based on the "number of free inhabitants", excluding the population of enslaved people. The third resolution called for a bicameral legislature, and the fourth resolution called for directly elected representatives in the first legislative body. The fifth resolution stated that the members of the second branch of the National Legislature ought to be elected by those of the first and meet certain requirements, such as being of a certain age and receiving liberal stipends.
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The New Jersey Plan
The fourth resolution added an executive branch to be made up of more than one individual, and it provided a fail-safe to remove said executives by a majority vote of the states. The fifth resolution provided for a federal judiciary that would be appointed by the executive branch. The sixth resolution stated that all Acts of Congress made pursuant to the Articles of Confederation should be the supreme law of the land, with state judges bound to uphold them.
The seventh resolution provided for the admission of new states into the Union, while the eighth resolution called for a uniform rule of naturalization. Finally, the ninth resolution stated that citizens of each state should be treated equally in state criminal courts.
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Bicameral legislature
Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. The British Parliament, which has been the model for most parliamentary systems globally, is an example of a bicameral system, with the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The United States federal government and all its states, except Nebraska, also use a bicameral system, with the House of Representatives and the Senate. The legislative branch was established by Article I of the U.S. Constitution. The lawmaking process can begin in either house, and a bill must pass through both in identical form to become law.
The Framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted to create a powerful legislative body as part of a system of checks and balances. They looked to history and other countries for inspiration, and many of the historical republics they studied had bicameral legislatures. The Founders proposed that Congress represent states' interests in the federal government, but the larger and smaller states quarrelled over their representation.
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and introduced by Edmund Randolph, proposed a strong national government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It called for a bicameral legislature with proportional representation, meaning each state's representation in Congress would be based on its population. The Virginia Plan was revised and amended before being finalized and adopted at the Convention.
The New Jersey Plan, proposed by William Paterson, was an alternative that intended to give states equal representation in a unicameral legislature. The Connecticut Compromise, or Great Compromise, was a unique plan that resolved the issue by incorporating both elements. This established the bicameral system in the U.S.
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Proportional representation
In 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia established equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives. This was called the "Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise". The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison, proposed a bicameral national legislature, consisting of two houses, in which the "rights of suffrage" in both houses would be proportional to the size of the state. This plan was designed to protect the interests of the large states in a strong national republic.
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The Great Compromise
In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia agreed on a "Great Compromise" to resolve the contentious issue of congressional representation, which had divided delegates from large and small states. The compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, was drafted primarily by Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth.
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and introduced to the Convention by Edmund Randolph on May 29, 1787, proposed a bicameral national legislature with proportional representation in both houses, favouring the larger states. This plan was rejected by delegates from small states, who objected to the idea that their states contributed less financially and in terms of population.
The New Jersey Plan, introduced by William Paterson on June 15, 1787, proposed a unicameral (one-house) legislature in which each state had a single vote. This plan was voted down on June 19, reaffirming the commitment to a bicameral legislature. The Great Compromise thus emerged as a mixed representation plan, satisfying the demands of both large and small states.
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Frequently asked questions
The two plans were called the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.
The Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature with two legislative houses, while the New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature with one legislative house.
The Virginia Plan was primarily authored by James Madison, while the New Jersey Plan was introduced by William Paterson.
The New Jersey Plan was rejected, and the delegates worked to shape the Virginia Plan into a document that would be accepted by states of all sizes. This resulted in the "Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise", which incorporated elements of both plans.
