How would states be represented in Congress under the New Jersey Plan?

Under the New Jersey Plan, proposed during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, each state would be represented equally in Congress. Specifically, the plan called for a unicameral (one-house) legislature, where every state, regardless of its size or population, would have the same number of representatives. This was in contrast to the Virginia Plan, which proposed representation based on each state's population or financial contributions to the federal government. The New Jersey Plan aimed to protect the interests of the smaller states by ensuring that they had equal power in the legislative process.

Extra: The debate over representation in Congress was one of the central issues at the Constitutional Convention. The larger states favored the Virginia Plan, which would give them more influence in the new government due to their greater populations. Smaller states, fearing that they would be overpowered in such a system, rallied behind the New Jersey Plan.

The conflict between the large and small states was ultimately resolved by the Great Compromise (also known as the Connecticut Compromise). This compromise led to the creation of a bicameral (two-house) legislature, which is how Congress is organized today. In this system, the Senate represents states equally, with two senators per state, reflecting the New Jersey Plan's idea of equal state representation. The House of Representatives, on the other hand, provides proportional representation based on each state's population, following the principles of the Virginia Plan. This arrangement satisfied both the larger states that wanted greater representation and the smaller states that wanted to ensure their voices were heard on an equal footing. The Great Compromise was crucial in shaping the structure of the American government and ensuring the ratification of the Constitution.