At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which topic was common to the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Three-Fifths Compromise?
Responses
A slaveryslavery
B the slave tradethe slave trade
C interstate commerceinterstate commerce
D Congressional representation
D Congressional representation
D Congressional representation
The correct answer is D) Congressional representation.
To arrive at this answer, we need to understand the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Three-Fifths Compromise.
1. The Virginia Plan: Proposed by the delegates from Virginia, it called for a bicameral legislature with representation based on a state's population. This plan favored larger states with greater population because it would grant them more representation in Congress.
2. The New Jersey Plan: Proposed in response to the Virginia Plan, this plan called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state. This plan favored smaller states because it ensured that they would have equal representation in Congress, regardless of their population.
3. The Three-Fifths Compromise: This compromise dealt with the issue of how slaves would be counted for the purpose of determining a state's population. It stated that slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes.
The topic common to all three of these plans and the Three-Fifths Compromise is Congressional representation. The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan both addressed how representation in Congress would be determined, while the Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with how slaves would be counted towards a state's population for the purpose of representation.