Final answer:
Delegates favoring stronger state governments supported plans that limited national power, such as the New Jersey Plan, to protect individual liberties and maintain states' autonomy and equal representation. They aimed to avoid a potentially oppressive central government and endorsed a federal system where states retained significant sovereignty.
Step-by-step explanation:
Delegates who advocated for stronger state governments and a weaker national government believed in the importance of maintaining significant power within the individual states to prevent a potentially oppressive national authority. These delegates, often from smaller states like Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland, valued a system in which each state had equal representation and a considerable degree of autonomy. They endorsed plans like the New Jersey Plan, which retained a unicameral Congress with limited national powers, ensuring that the states could effectively understand and address the needs and interests of their residents.
These delegates were wary of a powerful national government, fearing it might infringe upon individual liberty and social stability. Their preferred governmental structure was designed to maintain both the independence and equal standing of the states, supporting a system in which each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of population, and no amendments could be made to the Articles of Confederation without unanimous consent.
Ultimately, while recognizing the need for a central government capable of regulating commerce and protecting the nation, these delegates prioritized a federal system that limited the scope of national government power and emphasized the sovereignty of the individual states. The compromise that emerged from these debates gave rise to a federal system with shared powers between the national and state governments, known as federalism.