constitutional convention

The goal of the Constitutional Convention was to alter the Articles of Confederation.

*After deliberation, delegates realized it was necessary to abolish the Articles of Confederation and establish a new government.

Edmund Randolph introduced the Virginia Plan, which proposed that states be represented based on their population, allowing each representative to have a vote in the new Congress. This plan favored larger states while disappointing smaller ones.

In response, the New Jersey Plan was put forward by William Paterson, suggesting that each state would have one representative with one vote, which was more favorable to smaller states.

To resolve this conflict, the Great Compromise was achieved, resulting in a bicameral legislature, known as Congress today. In this system, the House of Representatives receives a certain number of representatives based on state population, while the Senate ensures equal representation for each state by giving it 2 representatives, regardless of its size.