Final answer:
The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan both suggested a three-branch federal government, intended to strengthen federal power, and included legislative authority over commerce and taxation. Their key difference was in the legislative structure, where the Virginia Plan favored representation by population and the New Jersey Plan advocated for equal representation among states.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan were both proposals presented at the Philadelphia Convention to shape the future government of the United States. Despite their differences, they had a few similarities:
- Both plans proposed a federal government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
- They both aimed to strengthen the federal government compared to the Articles of Confederation.
- Each plan favored a legislature that would have some degree of control over interstate commerce and could levy taxes to support the federal government.
The Virginia Plan was preferred by larger states as it called for a bicameral legislature with representation based on state population, while the New Jersey Plan sought to protect the interests of smaller states by proposing a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.
The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, emerged to resolve the conflict between these plans, creating a bicameral Congress with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house, a structure still in place today.