p1.09+Virginia+Plan+Page

Group Members and Roles
**Group Slogan**
 * Leader/Debater: Ariana
 * Speaker/Debater:Kirsten
 * Journalist:Jackie
 * Writer:Noelie
 * Video, Graphics: Charlotte
 * Radio, Wiki, Photographer:Jessica

 More individual voice is the Virginia choice!

What Your Group Wants -- Plan for New Constitution
-A two legislative houses, both elected by the people and having proportionate representation -A strong federal government -A 3 branch government; Legislative, Executive and Judicial -We believe that legislature should regulate trade, be able to veto laws considered unconstitutional, and create armed forces, to enforce laws, gain respect, and move forward as a united country

Orator: Text of Your Speech
As a newly found nation we are different, a different type of people having the knowledge of past experiences. We cannot fear what happened before with Great Britain, times have changed, and we as a people have changed and can only move forward. We must prove our ability to govern ourselves. We must prove we are more than capable to work out differences. Now is the time we revise where we were and learn to benefit all Americans without suppressing the majority.

Our government must keep the peoples’ voice as a priority. Countless times in history people have overthrown a government in pursuit of a voice, and the Virginia Plan offers a solution to their pursuit. Although we are a young country, we have already witnessed the problems that arise when a majority is suppressed. Shay’s Rebellion was just a small example of the difficulties and destruction which arise with a lack of voice. We cannot suffer this way again!

Why should we sacrifice the voice of the majority to protect the minority? The Virginia Plan prevents this from happening. The fear of a strong central government cannot control our decisions for if we have no substantial power in the central government, like the New Jersey Plan supports, unifying this nation becomes impossible. We propose a 3 branched system, consisting of the legislative, executive and judicial branches, all of which have a system of checks and balances, ensuring that no one branch, or one person will get too powerful.

The Legislative Branch would be divided into two houses with its members based on population. This bicameral legislature would require a large majority to pass any laws. It combines the ideals of term limits and gives the people the power to vote an elected official out of office when a sufficient number of voters sign a petition.

We want to be a united country, not 13 separate states. A strong federal government is required in keeping us together. We all have different opinions and a lack of union could easily keep us from taking our position as an influential country of this world. The legislative branch can protect the executive branch from taking too much power and thrusting us back into the monarchy we know to well. Our opponents would argue we give those who have a smaller population less influence but it is more unjust to neglect a larger population and its larger and more substantial voice. We are here to revise the Articles of Confederation not simply rename it. We must make progress. We came here as a result of different causes, but stayed for the same reason. Because of our ability to change things. Because of our ability to make our voices heard.

As for the difficulties of slavery, we are not ready to bring about its destruction. The focus must be on stabilizing ourselves now, not total social reform. Slavery is not desirable, but is a better alterative to complete disunity. It is too risky to destroy the economic culture of the South. We must reach a consensus of political system, achieve economic stability and then set free a whole class of people.

We must protect the majority from the restrictions we ourselves were once put under. The Virginia Plan is how we must execute this. The Virginia Plan gives the power to the people without the threat of complete anarchy. We support the individual. The individual is what holds us up above our formers, what distinguishes us from the rest of this world.

More individual voice is the Virginia choice!

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**Debater: Possible Objections to Plan and Your Replies**

Faults of the New Jersey Plan -The New Jersey Plan, or “Small State Plan” was put forward in direct opposition to the Virginia Plan. It not only offered solutions that would neglect the people, but that would also thwart the progress of our newly formed democratic nation. The New Jersey Plan would: - Weaken the progress of our nations unity, through the lack of a strong federal government, in turn encouraging the isolation of 13 separate states. - Allow smaller states, and the minority, to dramatically sway national decisions affecting all. - Anger the majority, having them less represented, causing possible rebellions. - Rely on the ideals of the Articles of Confederation, which obviously did not work, and end up with the nation once again bankrupt and defenseless Small States will get left out and have no voice: -The state of Virginia, has a larger population, it is only fair that larger states have more representation, simply for the fact that the decisions made by these representatives effect more people -Since there are more people in Virginia, that means that there are often times more opinions and a much wider variety, if we have equal representatives, the people living in larger states will be neglected, in regards to their democratic voice. -Not all states are the same size, and not all people have the same views, knowing this we must know that proportionate representation is the only reasonable choice, because it allows for more people to be able to have a voice in the government. -You are asking to give a voice to the minority, however you then choose to neglect the majority. - We cannot allow small states to take more power by having equal representation, doing so will anger the majorities causing chaos, and possible rebellions like that of Shay’s rebellion. - The Virginia plan gives equal representation to every citizen regardless of their state. The New Jersey plan, on the other hand, gives some Americans greater representation than others. Three Branches: -We wish to have 3 branches of government, legislative, executive, and judicial. With the three houses the government will have a system of checks and balances ensuring that no person or group can get to powerful. -As a newly found nation we are different, a different type of people having the knowledge of past experiences. As a new people we cannot fear what happened before with Great Britain, times have changed, and we as a people have changed. The fear of a strong central government cannot stay, because not only do we have a 3 branched system we are able to use a system to check and balance the power, ensuring that no one branch, or one person will get to powerful. Past experience with Britain: -As an infant country, we just seceded from a government in which one man could change the majority, we cannot let that happen again, we must let the people have a voice, and this can only be done through representation based on population Slavery: -It was once said by young Virginian James Madison that “ Great as the evil of slavery is a dismemberment of the union would be worse.” The United States, were very newly created, and the severe arguing, that would occur over the issue of slavery, by the slave owners and those against slavery, would not be worth the disunity it would bring, not only would it segregate the north from the south, but it would make creating a new government, and establishing a new nation much more difficult. Type of democracy: -Proportionate democracy is the closest a large country can come to the ideal democracy, that being direct democracy. We Have Experience: We were the first colony! Not only are we experienced as in fighting for our rights, but we are experienced politicians and lawyers and know what it takes to keep the nation together! We as a nation came together, as colonists we joined together to fight for a common goal, or at least a goal that the MAJORITY of the colonists had. If that had not been done the colonists would still be oppressed by the British crown. The majority must be heard and the only way to do so is by having proportional representation! Need a strong central government: The articles of confederation are way to weak and in order to grow as a nation we must be able to pay back debts and have money, for this we must tax the citizens, we must gain respect, protect our people and build up armed forces. In order to do this we must have one united government, that being the federal government! With 3 branches the power will be balanced and we as a nation can grow and prosper. We have no national currency, which makes trading across states very inefficient, not to mention that eat state has a tax when anyone crosses the border. Stop being 13 individual states, we must unite and create a respected and powerful nation! Without a Federal Government we may not withstand the hardships: - debt - poverty - no unity - no respect - no protection - unable to tax

Journalist: Write-Up of Convention Activity
GREED INTRUDES DEMOCRACY

PHILADELPHIA--From the close of the Constitutional Convention not yet a month in the past, has an unfortunate truth been revealed--that of the small states' arrogance and inability to sacrifice their selfish desires for the benefit of this developing nation. Amongst the incessant chatter between the Dixiecrat and Crispus Attucks Blocks and the especially conservative rants of the British Block, the haughty small states which proposed the New Jersey Plan proved utterly superficial in their debating during the Convention. Unwilling to even ponder the propositions of the Great Compromise, their complete misconstrued understandings of democracy and unity made me question their very presence at the conference.

Seeing the deception right away, I completely understand the view of William Paterson--only because of its obvious power-seeking motive. Underlying the seemingly helpless and innocent demeanor of those small states, lies a malicious and illusory scheme to give themselves the majority of the power. Was it not the goal of this convention to unify the states and create one government, one people, one...NATION? Giving one vote to each state for ratifying laws and legislature only separates the states even more. In order to assess which population gets only one vote, the colonies would subsequently be evaluated by counting each individual state rather than looking at the population of the nation as a whole that we are trying to form. Is not democracy one of the main inspirations of our independence? Ignoring the large populations of people in the larger states would not only be disregarding the majority of the people (and their voices in the government) but it would essentially abandon the main principles of democracy all together.

The New Jersey Plan hastily claimed that "equal representation [in the legislative branch] will only tie the union of states closer," without giving any reason as to why. So, I will give present their reason for them. Equal representation would supposedly tie the union of the states closer because it would satisfy the superfluous needs of the small states for power and influence, therefore making them content with the larger states' so ignorantly deemed "equality." This argument only holds true and beneficial on their own behalf, so how could they possibly argue that it would unify the entire nation? Their skewed idea of equality is: ignoring a large population of our American society and repressing vast amounts of individual's voices and opinions in the government.

America's people give power to the government. And what is a government without power? Anarchy. Equalized state power that the New Jersey Plan suggested would weaken our government and therefore weaken our unity and strength as a nation, subjecting us to complete separation and/or anarchy among opposing states.

Regarding the attitude of the New Jersey Plan representatives, they played the part well of deceitfully victimized and bullied little CHILDREN. Nevertheless, a large group of children can always overwhelm any rational adult with its ridiculous antics. Thus ran the Constitutional convention in this manner. The representatives of the Great Compromise commented, being that there are more small states than larger states, "the smaller states have more power than the larger ones." With puerile ignorance this direct blow to the New Jersey plan was completely disregarded, for failure to muster any refuting comment or justification.

What are we, mere toddlers? I think not. Ignoring anything that does not go your way and using ridiculous syllogisms to refute your opponents are psychological methods used by a two-year-old. Act your age Paterson! How long is it going to take you to realize that the purpose of the convention was to create a unified and powerful nation, not destroy any remnants of its potential existence.

Comments from Rival Plans
Our manly appendages will always triumph over your effeminate lack thereof. -Love, New Jersey Plan.