Which branch of government was emphasized in both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans?

The emphasis on the legislative branch in both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans is critical to understanding the foundational debates that shaped the U.S. Constitution. The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature, which meant that there would be two chambers in Congress, with representation based on population. This idea was designed to give larger states more power because their population would allow them to have more representatives.

In contrast, the New Jersey Plan favored a unicameral legislature where each state would have equal representation, regardless of its size or population. This plan aimed to protect the interests of smaller states by ensuring that they would not be overshadowed by larger ones in legislative decisions.

Both plans aimed to create a legislative framework that would address issues of representation and governance after the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became apparent. Ultimately, this debate culminated in the Great Compromise, which blended elements from both plans and established a bicameral Congress with different methods of representation in each chamber. Thus, the focus on the legislative branch in both plans highlights its central role in the structure of the U.S. government and the founders' intent to balance power among the states.