Exploring the Virginia Plan: A Blueprint for a New Government

The Virginia Plan was a blueprint for a new national government proposed by the delegates from Virginia during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Pivotal in shaping the United States Constitution, it outlined a government with a bicameral legislature, an independent executive, and a national judiciary.

The membership of the two legislative houses would be proportional to the population of each state, thereby favoring more populous states. Specifically, the lower house would be elected directly by the people, while the upper house would be selected by the lower house from nominees provided by state legislatures. This plan was favorable to larger states because it would give them greater representation in Congress.

Under the Virginia Plan, the executive and judicial branches were to be established by the legislature, which marked a significant shift from the previous Articles of Confederation that lacked these separate branches of government. Moreover, the Virginia Plan also suggested that the national government could overturn state laws, ensuring a strong centralized authority.