Equal Representation in the New Jersey Plan

One issue addressed in the New Jersey Plan that was not present in the Virginia Plan was the concern of small states over equal representation in the national legislature. The New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral, or single-house, legislature where each state would have one vote, regardless of their population size.

This proposal was in direct contention with the Virginia Plan, which aimed for a bicameral legislature with proportional representation based on the population of each state. By offering each state the same amount of representation, the New Jersey Plan sought to protect the interests of smaller states and ensure that they were not overshadowed by the larger states.

This highlighted the significant differences in perspective between large and small states regarding the structure of the new national government, which was a central issue in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.