The main divisions at the Constitutional Convention were known as “The Virginia (Large States) Plan” and “The New Jersey (Small States) Plan.” The Virginia Plan was introduced by Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia, on May 29, 1787, at the convention and was prepared by James Madison. Madison, who was a “member of the Continental Congress” (Howard, 2008, p. 12), had faith in the Virginia Plan and thought it would be the best proposal to enforce the laws and assist the government in collecting taxes from the people (Library of Virginia, n.d.). The Virginian delegates planned to “rid the country of the Articles of Confederation, develop two houses of Congress, enact a federal judiciary, give Congress the right to elect a president, and to allow Congress the right to veto the actions of the state” (Schultz, 2010, p. 125). The larger states of the country believed in this plan as well and fully supported Virginia in their intentions. …show more content…
The delegates in the smaller states wanted their plan to amend the Articles of Confederation and deter the larger states from controlling the government on a national level (Library of Virginia, n.d.). The New Jersey Plan would serve to make the federal government stronger, and it recommended each state have the right to equal representation. It further stated that the legislature should have two houses with different rules which applied to responsibilities and the amount of time a member could serve for each term (Schultz,