The New Jersey Plan, proposed by William Paterson in 1787, sought to maintain equal representation for states in a unicameral legislature. It contrasted with the Virginia Plan's proportional representation and influenced the Great Compromise, leading to the current bicameral Congress with a Senate that upholds the principle of state equality. The plan's emphasis on smaller states' interests played a pivotal role in the U.S. federal system's development, ensuring a balanced legislative process.
Show More
The New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, a plural executive appointed by Congress, and a federal judiciary with a Supreme Tribunal
Powers of Congress
The New Jersey Plan aimed to enhance the powers of the federal government to levy taxes, regulate commerce, and enforce these powers
Plural Executive
The New Jersey Plan suggested a plural executive, appointed by Congress and removable at the request of a majority of state governors
Federal Judiciary
The New Jersey Plan proposed a federal judiciary with a Supreme Tribunal as the highest judicial authority in the nation
The New Jersey Plan's legacy endures in the structure of the U.S. Senate, where each state is represented equally, and its contributions to the debate on state sovereignty and representation continue to be reflected in the balance of power between the states and the federal government
The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature based on state population or wealth
Powers of Congress
The Virginia Plan aimed to give larger states more influence in the national government by granting Congress the power to tax, regulate commerce, and enforce these powers
Bicameral Legislature
The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate
The Virginia Plan was ultimately rejected, but its ideas were incorporated into the Great Compromise, which proposed a bicameral legislature with both proportional and equal representation
00
The ______ Plan, proposed by ______ ______ during the ______ Convention of 1787, was designed to protect the interests of smaller states.
New Jersey
William
Paterson
Constitutional
01
Unlike the ______ Plan which favored proportional representation, the ______ Plan suggested a single-chamber congress where each state would have equal ______.
Virginia
New Jersey
representation
02
The plan introduced by ______ ______ sought to strengthen the federal government's ability to ______ taxes and oversee ______, while keeping states equal in the legislative body.
William
Paterson
levy
commerce
