Isabella Carter
The Virginia Plan, presented on May 29, 1787, at the Constitutional Convention, laid the foundation for the United States Constitution. Drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, the plan proposed a strong central government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The legislative branch would be divided into two bodies, the Senate and the House of Representatives, with representation in Congress based on a state's population. While the Virginia Plan favored the interests of large states, it was notable for setting the agenda for debate at the Convention and played a significant role in shaping the structure of the U.S. government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of proposal | May 29, 1787 |
| Proposer | Edmund Randolph |
| Author | James Madison |
| Number of resolutions | 15 |
| Type of government proposed | Strong central government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial |
| Representation in the legislature | Proportional to the state's population |
| Checks and balances | Yes |
| Amendments | Allowed |
| Ratification | By assemblies elected by the people |
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What You'll Learn
The Virginia Plan proposed a strong national government
The Virginia Plan, presented in 1787, proposed a strong national government with three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. Drafted by James Madison, the plan called for a legislature divided into two bodies: the Senate and the House of Representatives, with proportional representation. This meant that each state's representation in Congress would be based on its population.
The Virginia Plan was a proposal to establish a bicameral (two-branch) legislature in the newly founded United States. It recommended that states be represented based on their population numbers, favouring the interests of states with large populations. The plan was notable for its role in setting the agenda for debate at the Constitutional Convention, particularly regarding the idea of population-weighted representation.
The Virginia Plan was presented as fifteen draft resolutions outlining basic principles of government. It called for a supreme national government, a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation. The first resolution called for enlarging and correcting the Articles, and the second suggested that the count of population for determining representation in government be proportionate to the quotas of contribution or the number of free inhabitants.
The Virginia Plan went through several revisions before it was finalized, and while it was not adopted in full, parts of the proposal were incorporated into the Great Compromise of 1787, which laid the foundation for the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention agreed that this plan was fair to everyone and voted to pass it into legislation.
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It outlined a government with three branches
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, was a proposal for a supreme national government with three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This plan was a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation, which had established a confederation of sovereign states.
The Virginia Plan's three-branch government structure was designed to create a system of checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. The legislative branch, or Congress, would be divided into two bodies: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Representation in this legislature would be based on a state's population, with each state having a number of representatives proportional to its population. This idea of population-weighted representation was a significant aspect of the Virginia Plan and set the agenda for debate during the Constitutional Convention.
The executive branch, or the national government, would be appointed by the legislative branch. This branch would have the power to veto any state laws seen as contravening the Articles of Union, ensuring that state laws did not contradict federal ones.
Finally, the judicial branch would be responsible for interpreting the laws and ensuring that the other branches adhered to the Constitution. The Virginia Plan proposed that the legislative, executive, and judicial powers within the states would be bound by oath to support the Articles of Union.
While the Virginia Plan was not adopted in its entirety, it served as a foundation for the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The Great Compromise of 1787, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, incorporated elements of the Virginia Plan, such as the three-branch government structure and the concept of federal authority over state laws.
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It was drafted by James Madison
The Virginia Plan, also known as the Randolph Plan or the Large-State Plan, was a proposed plan for a supreme national government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. It was drafted by James Madison, a delegate from Virginia, and Edmund Randolph, the governor of Virginia. Madison is often given chief credit for producing the plan, but it was Randolph who presented it to the Constitutional Convention on May 29, 1787.
Madison believed that the solution to America's problems lay in a strong central government. He felt that Congress needed compulsory taxation authority and the power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce. To prevent state interference with the national government's authority, Madison argued for an explicit right of Congress to use force against non-compliant states and the creation of a national court system. He also believed that for a government to be truly national, Congress would need to exercise authority over citizens directly, rather than simply through the states. This would require a change in how states were represented in Congress. Madison believed that representation ought to be apportioned by population, with more populous states having more votes than less populous ones.
The Virginia Plan was a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation, which provided for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state. The Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature with the number of representatives per state based on population, favouring the interests of states with large populations. This was a significant point of contention, as smaller states generally opposed the plan, preferring alternatives that guaranteed each state equal representation regardless of population.
The Virginia Plan served as the foundation for the Constitution of the United States, setting the agenda for debate at the Constitutional Convention. It went through several revisions before it was finalized, incorporating elements of the New Jersey Plan, including the three-fifths rule and equal apportionment of representatives for the upper house of the legislature.
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It was presented by Edmund Randolph
The Virginia Plan, also known as the Randolph Plan, was presented by Virginia delegate Edmund Randolph to the Constitutional Convention on May 29, 1787. The plan was drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, and called for the creation of a supreme national government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The legislative branch would consist of two chambers, with each state represented in proportion to their quotas of contribution or number of free inhabitants.
Edmund Randolph was born on August 10, 1753, to a prominent Virginia family. He pursued a career in law and served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington in 1775. He was also selected to represent Virginia as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1779 and was later elected governor of Virginia in 1786. As governor, he served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and introduced the Virginia Plan.
The Virginia Plan was a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation, which provided for a unicameral legislature with each state having equal representation. The plan proposed a strong central government and a bicameral legislature, with the members of the first branch of the national legislature elected by the people of the several states for a term of three years. The second branch, or Senate, would be selected by the first branch from candidates nominated by state legislatures.
The Virginia Plan also advocated for the creation of a national judiciary, which was established by Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The plan set the agenda for debate at the Constitutional Convention and proposed the idea of population-weighted representation in the national legislature. It favored the interests of states with large populations, while the New Jersey Plan was proposed in response to protect small state interests.
The Virginia Plan went through several revisions before it was finalized and became the foundation of the U.S. Constitution. Randolph did not sign the Constitution's final draft because he wanted increased protections for individuals and disagreed with some revisions to the original plan. However, he later reversed his position at the Virginia Ratifying Convention in 1788.
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It influenced the Great Compromise
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, was a proposed plan for a supreme national government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. It was presented at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and became the foundation of the U.S. Constitution.
The Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature, with the number of representatives per state based on population. This favoured the interests of states with large populations, and so the smaller states proposed the New Jersey Plan in response, which advocated for a single legislative body with an equal number of representatives for each state.
The delegates at the convention, led by Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut, worked to shape the Virginia Plan into a document that would be accepted by states of all sizes. This led to the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise. The final document incorporated elements of both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans.
The Great Compromise included a bicameral legislature, as laid out in the Virginia Plan, but provided a compromise to satisfy concerns about population-based representation. In the final document, each state would have equal representation in the Senate, and a population-determined number of representatives in the House of Representatives. This proposal structuring the U.S. government was passed into legislation in 1787.
Thus, the Virginia Plan influenced the Great Compromise by providing the initial framework for the structure of the U.S. government and sparking debate about the role of population-based representation, which ultimately led to a compromise that balanced the interests of large and small states.
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Frequently asked questions
The Virginia Plan was a proposal for a strong central government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. It was drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph and presented at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
The Constitutional Convention was a gathering of delegates from the 13 original colonies that took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The goal of the convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was the first plan of government of the United States.
While the Virginia Plan was not adopted in its entirety, it did influence the final Constitution. The Great Compromise of 1787, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, incorporated elements of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. This compromise laid the foundation for the creation of the U.S. Constitution.
The Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature, with the number of representatives per state based on population. It also proposed a system of checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. Additionally, it introduced the concept of the federal negative, which gave the federal legislative body the power to veto any state laws that contradicted federal ones.
The Virginia Plan was significant because it set the agenda for debate at the Constitutional Convention and introduced the idea of population-weighted representation in the proposed national legislature. It favored the interests of states with large populations, while the New Jersey Plan was proposed in response to protect the interests of smaller states.
