New Jersey Plan

New Jersey Plan‏‎

The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787. The plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan, which called for two houses of Congress, both elected with apportionment according to population. The less populous states were adamantly opposed to giving most of the control of the national government to the more populous states, and so proposed an alternative plan that would have kept the one-vote-per-state representation under one legislative body from the Articles of Confederation.

Background

The New Jersey Plan was the counterproposal to the Virginia Plan in terms of the structure of the new government. The plan was named after the state of New Jersey, as the proposal emphasized the rights and powers of the individual states over the central government.

Provisions

The New Jersey Plan proposed the following:

• The unicameral legislature with one vote per state was to be retained, but it was to be given expanded powers, such as the power to tax and to regulate trade.
• An executive branch was to be elected by the legislature for a single term, and it was to be a plural executive, consisting of several people, but it could not be re-elected.
• A judiciary branch was to be established, to be appointed by the executive branch, it would serve for life and would constitute a supreme court—the final court of appeal.

Impact

The New Jersey Plan was ultimately rejected as the basis for a new constitution. The Virginia Plan was used, but some ideas from the New Jersey Plan were added.

See also

• Connecticut Compromise
• Federalism in the United States
• History of the United States Constitution

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