The Constitutional Convention of 1787

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was deemed a great success in many eyes. This constitution laid the foundation for the great nation called the United States of America. Looking back on America’s first plan of government, the Articles of Confederation, it is known that change was necessary in order to keep our nation moving forward and the Constitutional Convention was the first step to accomplishing success. The quarreling between the Federalists and Anti-Federalist over the ratification of the Constitution and demand for a better equipped government are all the more reasons why the Constitutional Convention was appropriate. The Virginia Plan, proposed by James Madison, called for states to be represented permitting to their population under a national legislature. James Madison’s plan was to drop the Articles of Confederation completely and start from scratch. According to the Virginia Plan the members of the House of Representatives would be elected by popular vote; however, senators would be chosen indirectly by state legislatures protecting them from democratic burden. Although the Virginia Plan has many enticing ideas an opposition occurs. The complication with the Virginia Plan is that not all states have the same population; therefore, smaller states could easily become overruled by larger states with a dense population. William Paterson, of New Jersey, debated this issue between the large and small states which is known as the New Jersey Plan. James Madison and William Paterson came to an agreement that agreed to both sides of their plans. This agreement became known as the Great Compromise which allowed all states to be represented equally in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.