The Benefits of Compromise
263
The New Jersey Plan would have preserved a strong influence for the
smaller States in the Union, and in general tone would have made it clear
that the several States were not being wholly subordinate to some central
power. The Plan was supported by delegates who were alarmed at the
lack of checks and balances in the Virginia design. As John Dickinson
told Madison, ‘‘You see the consequences of pushing things too far.’’
On June 19, the Convention made its choice on whether to proceed with
the Virginia Plan or the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan won with votes
from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Caroli