What was the Virginia Plan known as?

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia to revise the weakened Articles of Confederation. However, members from the Virginia Delegation had other ideas. Instead of amending the Articles of Confederation, they wanted to throw it out altogether. Would their plan work?

This article discusses the purpose of the Virginia Plan, the masterminds behind it, and how the proposed resolutions sought to fix the problems of the Articles of Confederation. And we'll see how elements of the Virginia Plan were adopted by the Constitutional Convention.

Purpose of the Virginia Plan

The Virginia Plan was a proposal for the new government of the United States. The Virginia Plan favored a strong central government made up of three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Virginia Plan advocated for a system of checks and balances within these three branches in order to prevent the same type of tyranny the colonies faced under the British. The Virginia Plan recommended a bicameral legislature based on proportional representation, meaning the seats would be filled on the basis of a state’s population.

Bicameral means having two chambers. An example of a bicameral legislature is the current U.S. legislature, which consists of two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Origins of The Virginia Plan

James Madison took inspiration from his studies of failed confederacies to draft the Virginia Plan. Madison had prior experience in drafting constitutions as he aided in the drafting and ratification of Virginia’s constitution in 1776. Because of his influence, he was selected to be part of the Virginia Delegation at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At the Convention, Madison became the chief recorder and took very detailed notes about the debates.

The Virginia Plan was presented at the Constitutional Convention on May 29, 1787, by Edmund Jennings Randolph (1753-1818). Randolph was not only a lawyer but he had also been involved in politics and government. He was the youngest member of the convention that ratified Virginia’s constitution in 1776. In 1779, he was elected to the Continental Congress. Seven years later, he became the Governor of Virginia. He participated in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 as a delegate of Virginia. He was also on the Committee on Detail whose task was to write the first draft of the U.S. Constitution.

Main Ideas of The Virginia Plan

The Virginia Plan included fifteen resolutions based on the republican principle. These resolutions aimed to improve the deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation.

Proportional representation, in this case, meant that the seats available in the National Legislature would be distributed based on a State’s population of free persons.

The republican principle of government dictates that the powers of sovereignty are vested in the citizens of a country. The citizens exercise these powers either directly or indirectly through appointed representatives. These representatives serve the interests of those who elected them and are responsible for helping the majority of people, not just a few individuals.

These fifteen resolutions were proposed to fix five major defects found in the Articles of Confederation:

1. The Confederation lacked security against foreign invasions.

2. Congress lacked the power to resolve disputes between States.

3. Congress lacked the power to enter into commercial treaties.

4. The Federal government lacked the power to prevent the encroachment of States on its authority.

5. The Federal government’s authority was inferior to the governments of individual states.

Debate Over the Virginia Plan in 1787

At the Constitutional Convention, debates over the plans for reforming the U.S. government were heated, with different camps forming around support and opposition to the Virginia Plan.

Support for the Virginia Plan

James Madison, the writer of the Virginia Plan, and Edmund Randolph, the person who presented it at the Convention, led the effort for its implementation.

George Washington, the future first president of the United States, also supported the Virginia Plan. He was unanimously voted as the president of the Constitutional Convention and was admired by the framers of the constitution because of his past military accomplishments in the Revolutionary War. His support for the Virginia Plan was significant because, even though he maintained a quiet demeanor and allowed the delegates to debate amongst themselves, he believed that the Union would benefit from a strong central government and a single executive leader.

Portrait of George Washington, Wikimedia Commons.

Because the provisions of the Virginia Plan guaranteed the interest of more populous states would be stronger under federalism than under the Articles of Confederation, States like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia supported the Virginia Plan.

Opposition to the Virginia Plan

The smaller states such as New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut opposed the Virginia Plan. A representative from Maryland, Martin Luther, also opposed the Virginia Plan. They opposed the use of proportional representation in the Virginia Plan because they believed they wouldn’t have as much say in the national government as the larger states would. Instead, these states supported the alternative New Jersey Plan proposed by William Paterson that called for a unicameral legislature where each state would get one vote.

The Great Compromise / Connecticut Compromise

Because the smaller states opposed the Virginia Plan and the larger states opposed the New Jersey Plan, the Constitutional Convention did not adopt the Virginia Plan. Instead, the Connecticut Compromise was adopted on July 16, 1787. In the Connecticut Compromise, both forms of representation seen in the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan were implemented. The first branch of the National Legislature, the House of Representatives, would have proportional representation, and the second branch of the National Legislature, the Senate, would have equal representation. It was seen as the middle ground between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. While the Virginia Plan wasn’t adopted as the nation’s constitution, many of the elements presented were written into the Constitution.

Significance of the Virginia Plan

Though the delegates arrived at the Constitutional Convention with the idea of revising and amending the Articles of Confederation, the presentation of the Virginia Plan, which sought to do away with the Articles of Confederation, set the agenda for the assembly. The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government and was the first document to suggest a separation of powers as well as checks and balances. The suggestion of a bicameral legislature also eased some of the tension between Federalists and Antifederalists. Moreover, the submission of the Virginia Plan encouraged the proposal of other plans, such as the New Jersey Plan, which lead to compromise and, ultimately, the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Virginia Plan - Key takeaways

• The Virginia Plan advocated for the separation of powers between three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial.

• The Virginia Plan also advocated for a system of checks and balances between the three branches to prevent tyranny.

• The Virginia Plan suggested a bicameral legislature that utilized proportional representation which was popular with larger states of the union.

• The New Jersey Plan was an alternative plan supported by the smaller states of the union who believed proportional representation would limit their participation in the national government.

• The Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan gave way to the Connecticut Compromise which suggested that the first branch of the national legislature use proportional representation and the second branch of the national legislature use equal representation.

The Virginia Plan was one of the proposed constitutions at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. It advocated for proportional representation of states in a bicameral national legislature, a single national executive, and the amendment of the constitution down the line.

The Virginia Plan was proposed on May 29, 1787 at the Constitutional Convention.

The Virginia Plan was proposed by Edmund Randolph but was written by James Madison.

Larger, more populous states supported the Virginia Plan because it gave them more influence in the national legislature.

The Constitutional Convention did not adopt the Virginia Plan outright. Provisions from both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan were drafted into the constitution after the delegates reached "The Great Compromise."

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Who wrote the Virginia Plan?

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Who presented the Virginia Plan to the Constitutional Convention?

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How many resolutions did the Virginia Plan have?

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The Virginia Plan had 15 resolutions.

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What did the Virginia Plan mean by separation of powers?

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Separation of Powers meant the creation of three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.

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What system did the Virginia Plan suggest to prevent tyranny of the national government?

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The Virginia Plan suggested a system of checks and balances.

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What was the alternative plan proposed by William Paterson?

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The New Jersey Plan was the alternative plan proposed by William Paterson.

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True or False: Larger states supported the New Jersey Plan.

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True or False: The Connecticut Compromise or The Great Compromise was composed of elements from the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan.

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Besides James Madison and Edmund Randolph, who supported the Virginia Plan?

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Why did smaller states reject the Virginia Plan?

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The smaller, less populous states rejected the Virginia Plan because they believed proportional representation in the national legislature would give larger, more populous states more influence.