The Virginia Plan was a proposal for a new federal system of government for the United States, drafted by James Madison and presented by Edmund Randolph at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 (Garver, 1936). The Virginia Plan aimed to create a strong national government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The legislative branch would consist of two houses: a lower house elected by the people based on population, and an upper house chosen by the lower house from nominees proposed by state legislatures. The executive branch would be headed by a president elected by Congress for a single term, and the judicial branch would consist of a supreme court and inferior courts appointed by Congress (Garver, 1936). The Virginia Plan also gave Congress broad powers to legislate on matters affecting the common interests of the states, to veto state laws that conflicted with national laws, and to admit new states into the union.The Virginia Plan was supported by large states such as Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, who wanted more representation and influence in the national government. However, it faced opposition from small states such as New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut, who feared being dominated by their larger neighbors (Garver, 1936). The Virginia Plan was eventually modified and compromised with other proposals to produce the final Constitution that was ratified by the states in 1788. Virginia again took a leading role in shaping the new constitution, as it proposed a plan that favored large states with proportional representation based on population or wealth. The plan was drafted by Madison and presented by Edmund Randolph at the convention in Philadelphia (Garver, 1936). It also called for a strong national government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The plan faced opposition from smaller states, who preferred equal representation for each state. The conflict was resolved by the Great Compromise, which created a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate based on equal representation. The constitution also incorporated many ideas from Virginia's political thinkers, such as separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and republicanism.