History Class Debate: New Jersey Plan vs Virginia Plan

During the Constitutional Convention, delegates were tasked with finding a compromise to resolve the issue of representation in the national legislature. The New Jersey Plan, also known as the Small State Plan, was introduced by William Paterson as an alternative to the Virginia Plan.

The New Jersey Plan sought to ensure that smaller states would have an equal voice in the national legislature by proposing a unicameral legislature where each state would have one vote. This was a stark contrast to the Virginia Plan, put forward by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, which called for a bicameral legislature with representation based on state population.

Supporters of the New Jersey Plan argued that equal representation was necessary to protect the interests of smaller states and prevent larger states from dominating the legislative process. On the other hand, proponents of the Virginia Plan believed that representation based on population was more reflective of the principle of popular sovereignty.

The debate between the two plans highlighted the tension between state sovereignty and majority rule, ultimately leading to the Great Compromise, which combined elements of both plans to create the structure of the United States Congress that we have today.