Compare And Contrast The American Revolution And The Virginia Plan

Following the American victory against Britain in the American Revolution, the Americans found themselves in need of a new government that would not repeat the mistakes of their oppressors, and their answer could only be found in a compromise between two brilliant but conflicting ideas. Fifty-Five men all gathered to represent each of the states except Rhode Island, with one goal in mind; to make a new, functional government that would not oppress or burden the people of their nation in any way. Two main ideas were proposed, The Virginia plan and a plan created by William Paterson. These two plans conflicted in many ways and caused heated debates among the state representatives. The Virginia plan was suggested by James Madison. He proposed that America adopt a new “national” government, consisting of an Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches. It was a bold and vague statement that was very different from the already existing Confederation. The delegates,

Perhaps the most important of the compromises that took place during the convention, the Great Compromise prompted the states to come up with the first government system used by America. Compromise had to happen in the convention for the delegates to make an agreement, Benjamin Franklin said the delegates would “become a reproach and by-word down to future ages”. Franklin plainly said that what the delegates accomplished in that room would be a precedent for future generations to follow. Their compromise had to be fair to all states, both large and small, so that each state would have equal representation. The compromise decided that the state’s lower house would be represented by the population of the state, and the upper house would consist of two members each. This proposal finally ended the dispute that was keeping the delegates locked in debate. The compromise was accepted on July 16,