The New Jersey Plan, proposed at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, actually advocated for a unicameral legislature (one house) with equal representation for each state, not bicameral or multi-cameral structures. This countered the Virginia Plan's population-based bicameral system, prioritizing smaller states' influence.

Core Proposal

William Paterson introduced the plan on June 15, 1787, keeping key Articles of Confederation elements like a single-vote-per-state Congress while adding a plural executive and Supreme Court. It rejected proportional representation to protect less populous states from dominance by larger ones like Virginia.

Key Features

  • Equal state votes in a unicameral body, regardless of population.
  • Multi-person executive (not a single president) for checks and balances.
  • National taxation powers via stamps, imports, and postage.
  • No mention of parliamentary government; focused on federal structure.

Fate and Legacy

Rejected on June 19, it paved the way for the Connecticut Compromise's bicameral Congress: population-based House and equal-state Senate. This balanced interests, shaping the U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788.

TL;DR : New Jersey Plan pushed unicameral equality, not bicameral/multi- cameral or parliamentary ideas—its spirit lives in the Senate.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.