p5.09+New+Jersey+Plan+Page



=Group Members and Roles=


 * Skylar: graphics, wiki, photographer, video
 * Mariah: brochure and letter writer
 * Alex: journalist
 * Amanda: leader and debater, radio
 * Jessica: speech and debater, radio

Group Slogan
"Stick It To The Man With The Small State Plan!"

What Your Group Wants -- Plan for New Constitution
Equal Representation for each state. our representation should Not based on population! we want to avoid too much power in the central government to ensure the protection of our local liberties. The majority of governmental decisions should be on a state-wide level. we want a unicameral house system to give each state an equal say in government

Bullet Points of Your Plan
The New Jersey Plan is a proposal supported by the smaller states in the Confederation such as Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and obviously New Jersey. It involves: • Reforming the Articles of Confederation so Congress can better regulate commerce and raise revenues; in this way we can pull our nation out of bankruptcy • A federalist government; keeping power within the states will better protect our local liberties. If power is held at the national level, it will only be corrupted (such as the case of King George III). • Maintaining a three-branch government system containing legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch will elect those in the executive, and the executive will elect those in the judicial. In this way, our the branches will share equal power and maintain a healthy balance. • A unicameral house, where all states will have equal representation. This is only fair, since our nation strives for equality. • The issues of taxes and trade may be dealt with at a national level, but all state laws will be held above national laws.

Orator:Text of your Speech
No man thinks more highly than I do of having a strong national government. In these trying times, it is absolutely essential for our great country to band together and form a nation based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In order for the united states to function properly, every state must work in harmony with one another and every state must be vying for the same goal, which is to live and prosper in a nation where every man has natural rights and every man is free from an oppressive ruler. But in order to become a unified nation, each state must have equal rights and equal representation in government. A government in which too much power is placed into the gluttonous hands of a centralized authority would be repressive. Have we not spent the last decade trying to detach ourselves from a tyrannical government? A centralized government would be too far from local control. How can an elite plantation owner from Virginia know what's best for a merchant from New York? We must not allow someone who has absolutely no concept of what we need to make decisions that will affect us all. If we have a concentration of power, then the rich would rule over the poor. Our government would change from a republic to an aristocracy, which is what we have fought so hard to avoid. It is necessary that we keep some power in the states if we have any intentions of maintaining a good legislature. If we want to create and maintain our state's sovereignty, then we need a plan to keep both the state governments and the national government happy.

The only possible solution is the New Jersey Plan. The New Jersey Plan offers equal representation to both large states and small states, which would allow each individual state to flourish. Having a legislature that gives the states power will better protect local liberties, seeing as power at a national level cannot. It would reform the Articles of Confederation so that Congress can easily regulate trade and commerce at a national government, which would help us pay off our debts and get out of bankruptcy. It would offer three equal branches-legislative, executive and judicial-which allow an equal share of power in the legislature. The New Jersey Plan is in the best interest of every state, whether it be big or small.

The opposing ideals of he Virginia Plan are just disturbing. We have just gotten out of a bloody battle with a overly powerful central government and the idea of another like it taking away from the rights of our states is just revolting. The Virginia Plan will allow the smaller states to be walked all over by the larger states. The power invested in the periphery must match or at least come close to the power that has already been bestowed in the central government to ensure that the needs of each state and every individual are met. The situation would be nearly identical to the situation in England if the central government is sovereign over our fledgling nation. We do not want another King George III. Though we clearly require equal representation, the Virginia plan puts too much power in the hands of the national government, consequently, the needs of our small states become a mere afterthought in comparison to the interests of the much larger, more powerful states. With the New Jersey Plan, everyone is favored, rather than just states with a high population.

Thus the only way to maintain a balanced democracy is to vote for the New Jersey plan. It is our right to have our equal say in government. It is our right that we are treated the same as a state with a larger population. It is our right to have Our great Country prospering when every state is equal and in agreement.

Debater: Possible Objections to Plan and Your Replies
Objection: A state with a small population should not carry the same amount of power as a state with a significanlty greater population. Response: If power is concentrated among states with higher populations, then the needs of the smaller states will be overrun by decisions voted upon the larger states that will satisfy their large populations. O: Everyone needs their voice to be heard. R: It is undeniable that all men should have their voices heard, but without the New Jersey Plan, in the larger states, men's voices will be heard louder and have a more direct effect on governmental decisions, whereas in smaller states, their voice will count for next to nothing, and that is nowhere close to just. O: By fostering individual states' powers rather than having the country conform to the so-called general will, there will be a lack of unity in the nation. R: If the indivdual needs of each state are not addressed fairly and eqaully, then a rift will form between the larger, more populous states and the samller states, causing national tension and we do not need this tension when our country is still in its beginning stages of independence. Also, the majority of governmental decisions will be state-wide, but matters such as taxes and trade will be left to the national government, so the country is unified under subjects such as these. O: It is impossible to please every individual, so why not give the individuals a greater amount of voice so that they at least feel as though they have more individual say in their government? R: IT is true that it is impossible to please every single person, but it is not enough to just let them feel that they have an individual say in government. We must give them an equal say in government that will best reflect their interests based on their lifestyles based and where they live. O: With your three branches of government, will the issue of one brach gaining too much power arise? R: The legislative branch will elect those in the executive, and the executive will elect those in the judicial. So, our three branches do have a degree of control over one another so that no one branch will gain too much power.

Journalist: The Fight For the Right
Revolutionary. Phenomenal. Brilliant. These words are some of the few which can be used to describe the momentous event which took place over the course of these past few months. The Federal Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention, first met on May 14, 1787 in Philadelphia. On this particular day, only two state delegates arrived for the conference, yet as more delegates began to trickle into Independence Hall, the men present began to discuss the important matter at hand: the revision of the Articles of Confederation. After much conversation, it was concluded that the Articles would be set aside, and a completely new governmental structure would be drafted. The major disagreement which arose was the problem of what amendments were to make up this new charter. As George Washington and Ben Franklin maintained the peace, the five political groups/committees (The Crispus Attucks Coalition, The Dixiecrat Bloc, The Virginia Plan, The Great Compromise, and last, but definitely not least, The New Jersey Plan) made the final touches to their persuasive speeches, their catchy slogans, and their witty comebacks. All that could be comprehended from this murmur of madness was that this convention would alter the world as we know it.

To introduce the goals and ideas of each committee, a group representative presented a short and seemingly persuasive speech, which informed the rest of the convention of its social, economic, and political plans. Most of the appeals were not only spoken in a loud and dynamic tone, but the speakers even had the audacity to make direct stabs at other groups in an unprofessional manner. The orator for the Virginia Plan even had the indecency to say, “Now the representative from New Jersey…makes not a colonial worth of sense.” Following these addresses was the continuous debate which would eventually lead to the decision of what the new constitution would be comprised of.

During this lengthy debate, many key points were brought up, mostly involving representation in government and slavery. The two slavery-based groups were the Crispus Attucks Coalition and the Dixiecrat Bloc. While Crispus Attucks argued fervently for restrictions, and even the denunciation, of slavery, the Dixiecrats boldly dared to state that slavery is necessary to keep the economy from “going down the toilet”. Though the Southern Bells attempted to form a persuasive argument, along with their ‘bargain’ of the three-fifths compromise, they seemed unsympathetic and extremely racist. The remaining parties battled to the death to fight for fair representation in government. The New Jersey Plan representatives, which included William Patterson, mentioned many crucial points, such as, “Our new democracy means that everyone is equal, so why can’t states have equal representation in government as well?”, and, “If our states give authority to the national level, the voices of the smaller states will not be heard, and the government will turn back into an autocracy such as that which existed during the reign of King George III.” While being bombarded with these questions, the Virginia Plan representatives, who were Edmund Randolph and his ‘servant’, could only stare blankly, puff on their high-class pipes, and retort with the fact that Virginia is massive compared to small yet strong-willed New Jersey.

After being forced into a group hug by a random observer, and hearing from The Great Compromise representaives, the state delegates began to realize that a compromise may benefit the unity of the nation, rather than having to split up due to different political views. All delegates seemed to warm to the idea as the convention came to its close, except for the thick-headed Virginians. Though the meeting came to an end before the details of The Great Compromise could be discussed further, the states made great progress in the forming of a unified nation.

Comments from Rival Plans
DAVID WHITE: It was a bad idea to put your speech up so early

Photos