What was a key feature of the New Jersey Plan?

What was a key feature of the New Jersey Plan?

• A. A strong national government with a bicameral Congress
• B. Representation based on population in a unicameral Congress
• C. One vote per state in a unicameral Congress
• D. A plan to abolish state governments

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is how representation in a new national legislature would be allocated and whether the system would have one house or two, plus whether representation would be equal for every state or based on population.

The New Jersey Plan centers on giving each state an equal voice in the national government. It proposed a unicameral (one-house) Congress in which every state would have one vote, regardless of its size or population. This design was meant to protect smaller states from being outvoted by larger ones and to keep some degree of state influence intact, while expanding federal powers in practical ways like collecting taxes and regulating commerce.

So why this is the best answer: the defining feature of the plan is precisely that equal, one-vote-per-state approach within a single legislative chamber. This contrasts with the alternative ideas about representation that influence the other major proposal at the time, which favored a bicameral structure with representation based on population, and with the notion of completely eliminating state governments.