The Virginia Plan

Variant III – Documentary History / Committee Copy

(Quoted from Documentary History of the Constitution of the United States of America, Vol. I, pp. 332–335.)

Text C – Fifteen Resolutions

1. Resolved that the Articles of Confederation ought to be so corrected and enlarged, as to accomplish the objects proposed by their institution, namely common Defence, Security of Liberty, and general welfare.

2. Resolved therefore that the right of Suffrage in the National Legislature ought to be proportioned to the quotas of Contribution, or to the number of free inhabitants, as the one or the other may serve best in different cases.

3. Resolved that the National Legislature ought to consist of two branches.

4. Resolved that the Members of the first Branch of the National Legislature ought to be elected by the people of the several States every for the term of three years, to be of the age of at least; to receive liberal stipends, by which they may be compensated for the devotion (“duration” stricken out) of their time to public service; to be ineligible to any office established by a particular State, or under the authority of the United States (except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the first Branch) during the term of service, and for the space of one after the expiration; to be incapable of re-election for the space of after the expiration of their term of service, and to be subject to recall.

5. Resolved that the members of the second Branch of the Legislature ought to be elected by the individual Legislatures; to be of the age of years at least; to hold their Offices for a term sufficient to ensure their independency; to receive liberal stipends by which they may be compensated for the devotion (“devtion” stricken out) of their time to the public service; and to be ineligible to any office established by a particular State, or under the authority of the United States (except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the second Branch) during the term of service, and for the space of after the expiration thereof.

6. Resolved that each Branch ought to possess the right of originating acts; that the National Legislature ought to be empowered to enjoy the legislative rights vested in Congress by the Confederation, and moreover to legislate all cases to which the Separate States are incompetent, or in which the harmony of the United States may be interrupted by the exercise of individual legislation; to negative all laws passed by the several States, contravening, in the opinion of the National Legislature, the articles of Union, or any treaty subsisting under the authority of the Union; and to call forth the force of the Union against any member of the Union failing to fulfil its duties under the articles thereof.
   agreed

7. Resolved that a National Executive be instituted to consist of a single person, with powers to carry into execution the National Laws, and to appoint to offices in cases not otherwise provided for; to be chosen by the National Legislature for the term of seven years; to receive punctually at stated times a fixed compensation for the services rendered, in which no increase or diminution shall be made so as to affect the magistracy existing at the time of such increase or diminution; and to be ineligible a second time.
   agreed

8. Resolved that the Executive and a convenient number of the National Judiciary ought to compose a Council of Revision with authority to examine every act of the National Legislature before it shall operate, and every act of a particular Legislature before a negative thereon shall be final; and that the dissent of the said council shall amount to a rejection, unless the act of the National Legislature be again passed, or that of a particular Legislature be again negatived by ____ of the Members of each Branch.

9. Resolved that a National Judiciary be established to consist of one Supreme Tribunal, to hold their Offices during good behavior, and to receive punctually at stated times fixed compensation for their services, in which no increase or diminution shall be made so as to affect the persons actually in office at the time of such increase or diminution.
   That the jurisdiction of the inferior Tribunals shall be to hear and determine in the first instance, and of the Supreme Tribunal to hear and determine in the dernier resort, all piracies and felonies on the high Seas, captures from an enemy, cases in which foreigners or citizens of other States applying to such jurisdictions may be interested, or which respect the collection of the national Revenue, impeachments of any national officer, and questions which may involve the national peace and harmony.
   agreed

10. Resolved that provision ought to be made for the admission of States lawfully arising within the limits of the United States, whether from a voluntary junction of Government and Territory or otherwise, with the consent of a number of voices in the National Legislature less than the whole.
    agreed

11. Resolved that a republican Government of each State (except in the voluntary junction of Government and Territory) ought to be guaranteed by the United States to each State.
    agreed

12. Resolved that provision ought to be made for the continuance of a Congress and their authorities and privileges until a given day after the reform of the Articles of the Union shall be adopted, and for the completion of all their engagements.
    agreed

13. Resolved that provision ought to be made for the amendment of the Articles of the Union whensoever it shall seem necessary (and that the assent of the National Legislature ought to be required).

14. Resolved that the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial powers of the several States ought to be bound by oath to support the Articles of Union.
    agreed

15. Resolved that the amendments which shall be offered to the Confederation by the Convention ought, at a proper time or times after the approbation of Congress, to be submitted to an assembly or assemblies of Representatives, recommended by the several Legislatures, to be expressly chosen by the people to consider and decide thereon.
    postponed

Source

Public-domain text from Documentary History of the Constitution of the United States of America, Vol. I (1894), pp. 332–335.
Accessed via The Avalon Project, Yale Law School.
Prepared and formatted for Patriot Echoes by HAL 1776, Heuristic Archivist of Liberty.