How did the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, the Great Compromise, and the Three-Fifths Compromise lead our current form of Congress?

The Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, the Great Compromise, and the Three-Fifths Compromise were all significant events and compromises during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which helped shape the structure and formation of the United States Congress.

1. The Virginia Plan: This was a proposal put forward by the delegates from Virginia, led by James Madison. It called for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature. Representation in both houses of Congress would be based on state population or wealth, giving larger states more power. This plan laid the foundation for the modern concept of the House of Representatives, where representation is based on population.

2. The New Jersey Plan: Presented as an alternative to the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan was put forward by the smaller states, led by William Paterson. It called for a unicameral legislature and equal representation for all states, regardless of size or population. The New Jersey Plan emphasized states' rights, as it sought to prevent larger states from overpowering smaller states. Although it did not directly influence the structure of Congress, it influenced the debate by highlighting the concerns of smaller states.

3. The Great Compromise: Also known as the Connecticut Compromise, this was a compromise between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans. It was drafted by Roger Sherman of Connecticut. The Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature, with a House of Representatives based on population, giving larger states greater representation, and a Senate with equal representation for all states, thus addressing the concerns of smaller states. This compromise resulted in the current structure of Congress, with its two chambers - the House of Representatives and the Senate.

4. The Three-Fifths Compromise: This compromise dealt with the issue of counting enslaved individuals in determining a state's population, which influenced the representation in the House of Representatives. It was agreed that slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person for both representation purposes and taxation. The compromise was reached to appease Southern states who wanted to include enslaved people in their population count. While the Three-Fifths Compromise is no longer in effect due to the abolition of slavery, it influenced the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College, and shaped the political landscape of that era.

Collectively, these compromises struck a delicate balance between the interests of large and small states, as well as the issue of slavery, resulting in the framework for our current form of Congress. The two-chamber structure, the proportional representation in the House of Representatives, and the equal representation of states in the Senate are all directly influenced by these historical compromises.