James Madison wrote the Virginia Plan. While it didn’t pass, it contributed he

James Madison wrote the Virginia
Plan. While it didn’t pass, it
contributed heavily to the drafting of
the Constitution and its ratification.
Describe how American life and
politics would be different if the
Virginia Plan were in place instead of
the U.S. Constitution. In terms of
problems and costs of collective
action, would these differences make
life better or worse than being governed under the U.S.
Constitution? Base your reasoning on
specific differences in institutional
design between the Virginia Plan and
the ratified Constitution
Specific differences in
institutional design
between the Virginia Plan
and the ratified Constitution
• These are most important
sources.
• Differences over structure
of legislature, selection of
executive, etc.
– For each difference, its
effect on collective action
• Identifying problems and
costs of collective action
Write your response in an essay 4 to 5 double-spaced pages long, using a standard font type such as Times, a 12-point font size, and 1-inch margins. Cite sources using a standard citation style (for example, the Chicago style), and use both in-text citations and a list of references appended to the end of the essay. The list of references is not included in the pages allowed. While there is no minimum required number of sources cited, the failure to cite sources for factual and argumentative claims constitutes plagiarism. For more specific criteria, consult the attached rubric.