The New Jersey Plan, Proposed By William Paterson

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The establishment of the federal government as it is known to the modern American, began with a call to ratify the Articles of Confederation and then evolved into the Continental Congress and the creation of a the new Constitution. Initially, two plans were proposed for the creation and development of the federal government. One plan, known as the New Jersey Plan, proposed by William Paterson and also referred to as the Small States Plan, sought to deviate slightly from the Articles of Confederation by giving equal representation to each state in the legislature, regardless of population or size (U-S-History, n.d.). This plan amended, rather than replaced, the Articles of Confederation and it strengthened the federal government while still