what was the new jersey plan

The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. It was principally authored by William Paterson of New Jersey and was an important alternative to the Virginia Plan proposed by James Madison and Edmund Randolph of Virginia. The plan proposed a unicameral (one-house) legislature with equal votes for each state, an executive elected by a national legislature, and expanded powers for Congress to raise revenue and regulate commerce and foreign affairs. The New Jersey Plan was intended to benefit small states such as New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland by protecting their security and power through equal representation in Congress, as under the Articles of Confederation. Ultimately, the New Jersey Plan was rejected by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention, with only three states voting in favor, seven against, and one divided.