Plans of Revision: The New Jersey Plan and Hamilton's Monarchy
Overview of the Constitutional Convention: Plans of Revision
This analysis covers the alternative structural proposals presented during the Constitutional Convention following James Madison’s presentation of the Virginia Plan.
The focus is primarily on the New Jersey Plan presented by William Patterson and the exceptionally centralized proposal offered by Alexander Hamilton, often referred to as "Hamilton's Monarchy."
The New Jersey Plan: Small State Response
Context and Presentation:
The New Jersey Plan was presented by William Patterson, a delegate from New Jersey.
The plan was formulated because delegates from smaller states took exception to the Virginia Plan’s proposed legislature makeup.
It was specifically designed to represent the interests of smaller states like New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
The Problem of Representation:
In the existing Articles of Confederation, every state was represented by an equal number of votes regardless of size or population.
Under the Articles, New Hampshire had as much influence as New York, and Rhode Island had as much influence as Virginia.
Smaller states feared they would be "drowned out" by larger states (such as Virginia and New York) under Madison’s bicameral, population-based legislature.
Small states found it difficult to give up the significant influence they held under the equal-vote system.
Structural Proposals of the New Jersey Plan:
The Legislature: Instead of the bicameral system proposed by Madison, the New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral (one-house) legislature.
Voting System: It maintained the "one state, one vote" standard from the Articles of Confederation.
The Executive Branch: The plan called for a "plural executive," meaning the branch would consist of more than one person. This executive group would be elected by the National Congress.
The Judicial Branch: It proposed the creation of a Supreme Court, with members appointed by the executive branch.
Taxation Power: The plan proposed ceding the power of taxation to the national government. Interestingly, while Madison looked to Parliament for his vision, the promoters of the New Jersey Plan had something like the Stamp Tax in mind when they considered how the government would collect revenue.
Alexander Hamilton’s Plan: The Monarchist Perspective
The Presentation:
Alexander Hamilton delivered a famously exhaustive and tedious speech on the floor of the convention that lasted approximately \,hours.
This speech presented a plan so centralized that it earned him a reputation as a monarchist, a label he would spend the rest of his life attempting to live down.
Provisions of Hamilton’s Plan:
State Leadership: Hamilton proposed that every state would have an executive or governor appointed by the national government, rather than being elected by the people of that state.
The National Executive: He proposed a national executive who would serve for life. While the executive could be impeached for "bad behavior" or thrown out of office, the default term was life-long, closely resembling a monarchy.
Selection Process for the Executive: Hamilton sought to place as many layers as possible between the "ordinary people" and the national executive. The process was described as follows:
Popularly chosen voters (restricted to landowners) would elect a set of electors.
These electors would then elect a second set of electors.
This secondary set of electors would then select the National Executive.
The Senate: Like the executive, members of the Senate were to be chosen for life.
Federal Authority: The National Executive would be granted absolute veto power, which extended even over state laws.
Theories Behind Hamilton’s Proposal
The Strategic Theory:
Some historians argue that Hamilton’s extreme proposal was a strategic maneuver to push the convention toward a middle ground.
By introducing a third, radical plan, the Virginia Plan—which previously seemed like a drastic departure from the Articles of Confederation—suddenly appeared moderate and mild by comparison.
This may have been an attempt to ensure the convention did not settle for the New Jersey Plan, which nationalists like Hamilton felt changed too little to be worth doing.
The Genuine Belief Theory:
Other historians believe the proposal reflected Hamilton's actual political philosophy.
Hamilton was known to have an affection for the British Empire and its system of government; he believed it was a functional and effective model.
Under this theory, Hamilton presented the plan because he genuinely believed it was the best way to organize the new government, despite it being considered "lunacy" by many contemporaries.
Comparison of the Competing Models
Three-Branch Structure: All major plans (excluding the technicalities of Hamilton's radicalism) agreed on a tripartite government consisting of an Executive, a Judicial, and a Legislative branch.
Legislative Divergence:
Virginia Plan: Bicameral legislature with representation based on population.
New Jersey Plan: Unicameral legislature with equal representation for all states (\,vote per state).
Centralization: Hamilton’s plan represented the extreme end of centralization, calling for total national control over state governance and life-long terms for high-ranking officials.