Both the Virgina Plan and the New Jersey plans. A combined version of the plans provided the basic framework for the new national government. Â
Explanation:
The Articles of Confederation was our nation’s very first Constitution. It was a group of laws that helped to lead the colonies during the Revolutionary War. There were many weaknesses in this document. The first being that Congress could not regulate trade. Meaning, that no money was able to be generated. The second weakness of the document was that Congress could not force anyone to enlist in the army. Meaning that our nation didn’t have a stable army. The third and final weakness of the document was that Congress could not force people to pay taxes. Meaning that no money was being brought into the U.S. Treasury, causing America to face bankruptcy. This weakness is very frightening because, in the Treaty of Paris of 1783, America agreed to pay off the war debt for the French and Indian War, 15 million dollars. This is frightening because if England thinks that we are not holding up our end of the deal, they can start attacking the U.S. with probable cause. Also, we don’t have a stable army at this time, so we wouldn’t be safe.
Under the New Jersey plan, our Congress would be organized into a one-house legislature. Under this plan, each state would receive one representative and one vote in Congress, no matter what their population was. Also, this plan allowed Congress to impose taxes, regulate trade, and elect the Executive Branch of Government. This plan was favored by the small states because it strived for equal representation within the thirteen states.
Under the Virginia Plan, the government would be organized with a national government to control America. Under this plan, representation would be based on each state’s population. This plan also pushed for the creation of 3 branches of government. The first being the Legislative branch, the second being the executive branch and the third being the judicial branch. The larger states favored this plan because they would have more representation in Congress, allowing them to have more of a say in matters big and small.
Rodger Sherman, a delegate from the state of Connecticut suggested the Great Compromise. In the Senate, each state was granted 2 Senators, no matter what the population was. This was to please the small states. In the House of Representatives, representation would be decided by the state’s population. The higher the population, the more representation and the lower the population the less representation each state would receive. This was to please the larger states.
