Which plan introduced by William Patterson featured a unicameral legislature with equal representation among states?

Which plan introduced by William Patterson featured a unicameral legislature with equal representation among states?

• A. Virginia Plan
• B. New Jersey Plan
• C. The Declaration of Independence
• D. The Citizen Militia

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how representation in the national legislature was imagined before the Constitution was adopted. William Paterson’s plan, the New Jersey Plan, proposed a single legislative chamber (unicameral) in which each state would have one vote, giving every state equal representation regardless of size. This design aimed to protect smaller states from being overwhelmed by larger ones and kept Congress more like the old Congress under the Articles of Confederation, but with some expanded powers. In contrast, the Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature with representation largely tied to population (and property/wealth), which would favor larger states. The other options aren’t about structuring a national legislature at all. So the plan that features a unicameral body with equal state representation is the New Jersey Plan.

The idea being tested is how representation in the national legislature was imagined before the Constitution was adopted. William Paterson’s plan, the New Jersey Plan, proposed a single legislative chamber (unicameral) in which each state would have one vote, giving every state equal representation regardless of size. This design aimed to protect smaller states from being overwhelmed by larger ones and kept Congress more like the old Congress under the Articles of Confederation, but with some expanded powers.

In contrast, the Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature with representation largely tied to population (and property/wealth), which would favor larger states. The other options aren’t about structuring a national legislature at all. So the plan that features a unicameral body with equal state representation is the New Jersey Plan.