Disadvantages of Other Plans

The New Jersey Plan:

--If each state has the same number of representatives, a tiny group of people would have just as much power as a huge group of people. It is unfair for a smaller group of people to have the same amount of power as a much larger group of people of equal status. If all the states had the same number of representatives, it would be possible to pass laws that only a minority of the population actually agreed with.

--The New Jersey Plan essentially advocates a continuation of the old style of government under the Articles of Confederation, which obviously isn’t working for our country. They prefer to have a weaker central government. If the central government is weak, trade will be unbalanced and the country itself will be weak.

--Since there would only be one legislative house, the legislative branch would be unbalanced.

 

The Great Compromise:

--The Senate would be represented equally by states, which is unfair to states with larger populations.

--A tiny executive branch would choose the entire Supreme Court, whereas under the Virginia Plan a larger legislature will elect members to the executive branch.

--It doesn’t give the central government as much power as it should. If the individual state governments have too much power, it will be difficult to keep our country united.