the southern states supported the Virginia Plan because:
(A) it created a system of national courts (B) the legislature wa s to be apportioned according to a state's population (C) the upper house was to be elected by the state legislature (D) a large proportion of all tax revenues would go to the large states
What do you think Mandy, Lila, or Jodi?
To determine why the southern states supported the Virginia Plan, we can examine the features and provisions of the plan and see which aspects may have been appealing to them.
The Virginia Plan was presented during the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and proposed a framework for a new system of government in the United States. It consisted of several significant components, including:
(A) Creation of a system of national courts: While the Virginia Plan did not explicitly mention the establishment of national courts, it focused on creating a stronger central government with enumerated powers. Establishing a system of national courts would be aligned with the objective of creating a more robust federal judiciary.
(B) Apportionment of the legislature based on population: This provision meant that the number of representatives in the legislature would be determined by a state's population size. Consequently, states with larger populations would have more representation and influence in the national government. This aspect could be appealing to southern states because they had sizable populations, especially due to the presence of enslaved people.
(C) Election of the upper house by state legislature: The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature with an upper house and a lower house. It suggested that the members of the upper house would be elected by the state legislatures rather than by the popular vote. This approach could have been viewed favorably by the southern states, as it would likely offer them more control and influence over the selection of senators.
(D) Allocation of tax revenues in favor of large states: The Virginia Plan did not explicitly address the allocation of tax revenues. However, it is plausible that it could be interpreted as a plan that sought to allocate resources, including tax revenues, based on population size or some other proportional mechanism. If the plan indicated that a large proportion of tax revenues would go to the large states, this could be advantageous for the southern states with substantial populations.
In summary, based on the features of the Virginia Plan, the southern states may have supported it because it proposed apportioning the legislature based on population size, which would have given them significant representation. Additionally, the provision for the election of the upper house by the state legislature could have provided them with additional leverage in the national government. Lastly, if the plan implied a fair distribution of tax revenues, taking population size into account, this would have been favorable for the southern states with larger populations.