Compare and Contrast the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan and who were the Founding Fathers that were on each side?
http://library.thinkquest.org/11572/creation/framing/va_nj_plans.html
He was just asking for your opinions.
No opinions are needed. This is a straight factual question.
The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan were two different proposals put forward during the constitutional convention in 1787 for the structure and representation of the newly formed United States government. The Founding Fathers who supported each plan had differing views on how power should be distributed among the states.
1. Virginia Plan:
- Proposed by James Madison and supported by large states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
- The Virginia Plan advocated for a bicameral legislature consisting of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
- Representation in the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, was based on population, meaning that states with larger populations would have more representatives.
- The higher chamber, the Senate, would have members elected by the lower house and would represent the states equally, giving each state an equal say regardless of its population size.
- This plan favored larger states as they would have more influence due to their population size.
2. New Jersey Plan:
- Proposed by William Paterson and supported by smaller states like New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware.
- The New Jersey Plan advocated for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for all states.
- Each state would have an equal number of representatives, ensuring that smaller states would have an equal voice in the legislature.
- This plan aimed to protect the interests of smaller states and prevent them from being dominated by larger states.
The key difference between the two plans was the method of representation. The Virginia Plan favored proportional representation based on population, whereas the New Jersey Plan favored equal representation for all states.
Many of the Founding Fathers played active roles in either supporting or opposing these plans. However, it is important to note that not all Founding Fathers had strongly defined positions and some changed their stance over time. Nonetheless, here are some of the notable Founding Fathers associated with each plan:
Virginia Plan supporters:
- James Madison
- George Washington
- Alexander Hamilton
New Jersey Plan supporters:
- William Paterson
- Roger Sherman
- Thomas Jefferson (initially)
It's worth mentioning that the compromises made during the constitutional convention eventually led to the creation of the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) in which elements from both plans were incorporated. This compromise resulted in the modern-day structure of the United States Congress, with a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, combining elements of both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.
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