The Importance of the New Jersey Plan in Shaping the United States Government

The New Jersey Plan: Ensuring Equal Representation

The New Jersey Plan supported the idea of equal representation. On June of 1787, New Jersey Statesman William Paterson presented "The New Jersey Plan" which was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government. It came as a response to the Virginia Plan, that called for two houses in Congress and for the members to be elected according to the population size of their states.

The New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature with one vote per state, that was inherited from the Articles of the Confederation. This reflected the belief that the less populated States were not willing to give more power to the more populated states or to the national government.

The Role of the New Jersey Plan in the Constitutional Convention

The New Jersey Plan was an initiative proposed during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. It proposed an alternative to the Virginia Plan which had called for representation by population. The New Jersey Plan sought to address the fears of the small states who feared they would be overpowered by the more populous states in the proposed government.

The plan proposed that each state have equal representation in the upper house of a bicameral Congress, and that the lower house be proportionally represented by population. Furthermore, it suggested that the executive and judiciary branches be proportionally represented by states in the same way.

Finally, the New Jersey Plan proposed that all revenue collected from imports be distributed among the states in proportion to their population. By granting each state equal representation in the upper house, the New Jersey Plan guaranteed that the interests of the small states would be protected from encroachments by the larger states.

The Impact of the New Jersey Plan

The New Jersey Plan served an important role in ensuring the unity of the country and protecting the interests of the small states. Ultimately, it was incorporated into the final Constitution in the form of the Great Compromise, which split representation between equal representation for each state in the Senate, and proportional representation in the House of Representatives.

What was the main concept supported by the New Jersey Plan?

The main concept supported by the New Jersey Plan was the idea of equal representation among states.