What was the New Jersey Plan proposed by William Paterson?

Presented during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States government designed to protect the interests of less populous states. Authored principally by William Paterson, it advocated for retaining a single legislative body with equal one-vote-per-state representation, serving as a direct counter-proposal to the population-weighted Virginia Plan. Although the plan was defeated, it ultimately helped lead to the Connecticut Compromise, which shaped the modern structure of Congress.

What we know

• The New Jersey Plan was presented during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and principally authored by William Paterson. [2]
• The plan proposed retaining the one-vote-per-state representation under a single legislative body from the Articles of Confederation. [2]
• The New Jersey Plan was introduced as a response and alternative to the Virginia Plan, which favored populous states through proportional representation. [2, 3]
• Paterson and Madison's proposals were ultimately reconciled through the Connecticut Compromise, creating a bicameral Congress with equal Senate representation and proportional House representation. [2]

Where to go next

• compared withWhat was the Virginia Plan?
• what followedHow did the Connecticut Compromise shape Congress?
• whoWho was William Paterson?
• the bigger pictureWhat happened at the Constitutional Convention of 1787?
• how we knowWhat were the Articles of Confederation?
• an unexpected connectionHow did state delegates compromise on government structure?The fierce debate between small and large states over legislative power led directly to combining opposing plans into the modern bicameral legislature.

Sources

• [1]Syler (Wikidata Q1045125) · CC0 1.0
• [2]New Jersey Plan · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Virginia Plan · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Constitutional Convention (United States) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. What are Roman numerals?
2. /What was the New Jersey Plan proposed by William Paterson?