Describe the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. Identify which group preferred each plan and explain why.

Write your response in four to five complete sentences
( then theirs one more question after this) :)

answer: The Constitutional Convention took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain.

The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the 13 founding states that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states. It soon become evident to nearly all that it was inadequate for managing the various conflicts that arose among the states.

Several plans were introduced at the Constitutional Convention. The Virginia Plan, inspired by James Madison, proposed that both houses of the legislature would be determined proportionately. The lower house would be elected by the people, and the upper house would be elected by the lower house.

In contrast to the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral legislature with one vote per state. Inherited from the Articles of Confederation, this position reflected the belief that the states were independent entities.

To resolve this stalemate, the Connecticut Compromise blended the Virginia and New Jersey proposals. Ultimately, its main contribution was in determining the apportionment of the Senate. What was ultimately included in the Constitution was a modified form of this plan.

Among the most controversial issues confronting the delegates was that of slavery. The Three-Fifths Compromise established that three-fifths of the population of slaves would be counted in relation to the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the House of Representatives.

Key Terms

constitutional convention: The Constitutional Convention took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain.

virginia plan: Virginia Plan was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. Prior to the start of the Convention, the Virginian delegates met and, drawing largely from Madison’s suggestions, drafted a plan.

new jersey plan: Under the New Jersey Plan, the unicameral legislature with one vote per state was inherited from the Articles of Confederation. This position reflected the belief that the states were independent entities and as they entered the United States of America freely and individually, so they remained.