The Virginia Plan and the Articles of Confederation

State Background

Virginia was established on May 13th (some sources say 14th), 1607. Founded by the Virginia Company of London, 104 colonists settled the Jamestown colony. They were not prepared for the harsh conditions that confronted them in the New World. Eighty percent of the original group of settlers died in the first several years. The Virginia Company was confident that they could find gold in the area. They could not, and struggled to find ways to make money and sustain their lives. At one point in 1608, Jamestown only had 38 inhabitants. They later found tobacco as a valuable cash crop and finally began a steady economy. The free population of Virginia was 454,923 people according to the 1790 Census. The slave population of Virginia was 292,627 people according to the 1790 Census. The people in Virginia made money growing cash crops such as tobacco and later cotton.

Personal Background

Edmund Randolph was born on August 10th, 1753. He was born near Williamsburg, Virginia and was the son of John Randolph and Ariana Jennings Randolph. In 1787, Randolph would have been thirty-four years of age. His parents were members of one of Virginia’s most prominent families. He received an education at the College of William and Mary and also studied in his father’s law office. He began practicing law when he was twenty years of age. In 1775, he served as an aide to George Washington. He was Virginia’s first attorney general. His office began in 1776 and lasted until 1786. He also became the governor of Virginia in 1786. During the Revolutionary War, Randolph served as an aide-de-camp to George Washington.

Convention Issues

Role of Government

Edmund Randolph believed that the Articles of Confederation only needed minor adjustments. He wanted to change the Articles of Confederation so that Congress had the power to impose taxes on imported goods. He argued that the government must be able to protect the country from foreign enemies. He also argued that the government must be able to resolve wars within the country as well. Randolph said that the government must be able to assert dominance over state constitutions. On December 16, 1777, Virginia became the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

In order to convince Maryland to ratify the Articles of Confederation, Virginia had to give up the lands that they owned in the West in 1781. In 1785, representatives from Virginia and Maryland met to discuss trade problems at Mount Vernon. Because the meeting was so successful, the states were motivated to meet together and discuss other trade issues. They met together at the Annapolis Convention. There were only five states that sent representatives. This meant that the states could not reach decisions on anything under the Articles of Confederation. However, during the Annapolis Convention, Alexander Hamilton mentioned that the Articles of Confederation were inadequate for the country. This caused the Constitutional Convention to take place in Philadelphia. Although Virginia was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, they knew that the Articles of Confederation had many flaws and may not work in the long run. Randolph refused to acknowledge intentions that gave powers to the national Legislature. Randolph quoted as saying that he was “entirely opposed to such inroads on the State jurisdictions.” In other words, Randolph strongly believed that most of the government’s power should belong to the thirteen states.

National Legislature

Edmund Randolph proposed the Virginia Plan. The Virginia Plan proposed that the legislative branch have two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Under this plan, the amount of representatives that each state could send to the legislature was determined by the state’s population.

Slaves

As a Southerner, Randolph believed that slaves should not be taxed, because they were not property and should not be treated that way. Southerners are of the opinion that slaves should be no different from American citizens. Randolph argued that slaves should be counted into the population in the same way any other person would. Because the Northern and Southern delegates could not agree on a way to count slaves into each state’s population, the delegates agreed on a compromise. Put forth by James Madison, this compromise is known as the Three-Fifths Compromise. It states that, for the purpose of determining a state’s population for representation in the House of Representatives, slaves were to be counted as three-fifths of a person. To further satisfy the Southerners, Congress also created the fugitive slave clause, a provision that declares that all slaves must be returned to their owners. This applied to all slaves, even those found free in the Northern Colonies.

Chief Executive

On June 1st, Randolph expressed his opinion of opposing a single chief executive. He believed that this would give rise to monarchy, and that the president would begin to abuse his/her powers. He wanted the president’s power to be limited. Edmund Randolph believed that three people should serve as chief executive. Randolph said that a single president would easily provoke discord and cause citizens to become angry. He believed that three people could accomplish the same goals. Under the Virginia Plan (which was proposed by Randolph), Congress would select the chief executive.

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