which states supported the virginia plan
The Virginia Plan was mainly supported by the larger, more populous states at the Constitutional Convention, whose delegates believed representation should be based on population rather than on equal votes for each state.
Core answer
When delegates finally voted on whether to prefer the Virginia Plan over the rival New Jersey Plan on June 19, 1787, the states that supported the Virginia Plan were:
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
These seven state delegations voted in favor of the Virginia Plan, while New York, New Jersey, and Delaware opposed it, and Maryland’s delegation was divided, so Maryland did not count on either side.
Why these states supported it
- These supporter states were generally larger and more populous, especially Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, and thus stood to gain greater influence under a system of proportional representation in the national legislature.
- Delegates from these states wanted a stronger central government to replace the weaker Articles of Confederation and argued that representation based on population was fairer because big states contributed more people, taxes, and military strength.
Big-picture context
- The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with three branches and a bicameral legislature, both houses apportioned by population or financial contributions.
- Small states feared losing power under this scheme and backed the New Jersey Plan instead, which kept equal state voting; the eventual “Great Compromise” blended both ideas by creating a House based on population and a Senate with equal representation for each state.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.