The New Jersey Plan proposed two houses of Congress, with equal representation for each state in the Senate, and representation in the House based on population. It also proposed that slaves count as 3/5 of a person for determining populations. The North and South compromised on these points to avoid splitting the new fragile country. However, tensions continued over issues like tariffs and the expansion of slavery. Later compromises failed to resolve the fundamental differences between the regions and the country headed towards civil war.

1. New Jersey Plan
Virginia Plan
• Wanted equal • Wanted
representation representation in
in Senate. Congress based
• Benefitted them on population.
because they • Benefitted them
because they had
had a smaller a larger population.
population

2.  There would be two houses of
Congress – the House of
Representatives and the
Senate.
 The House of Representatives
would be based on population,
whereas there would be equal
representation for each state in

3. • Argued that if
South
North
slaves don’t have • Argued that slaves
rights, they were technically
shouldn’t count as part of the
representation in population, so they
Congress. should be counted
as such in the
• Didn’t want the House.
south to have too
much power in the • Wanted more
House of representation in
Representatives. the House of
Representatives.

4.  Slaves would count as 3/5ths of
people for population in the
House of Representatives.
 The North and South had to
compromise. The country was
new and fragile, so the leaders
didn’t want to risk arguments
that would split the country.

5. • Wanted a high
South
North
Tariff to protect • Wanted a low tariff.
their goods. Since Because they
the North’s didn’t manufacture
economy was and mainly
dependent on exported
manufacturing and cotton, they relied
people buying their on outside goods
goods, a high tariff for their living.
helped their
economy.

6.  Not really ever a solution? Tariff rates
changed often and were the source of
many conflicts and arguments.
 The low Tariff of 1857 angered
Northerners, who thought it was the
cause of the panic of 1857. This caused
further separation between North and
South.

7. • Northerners
South
North
wanted California • Southerners
admitted as a free wanted stricter
state, even if it fugitive slave laws
offset the balance to keep slaves
of free vs. slave from fleeing. In
states in the Union. addition, they
wanted more land
open to slavery by
Manifest Destiny

8.  The South got stricter fugitive slave
laws, and the rest of the Mexican
Cession land would be open to popular
sovereignty.
 The North got California admitted as a
free state, and the slave trade was
abolished in DC.
 However, the stricter fugitive slave laws
upset the North. The unfair punishments
on slaves made moderate Northerners

9. 1857
• Bloodshed was impending. The United
States were on the brink of a Civil War. In a
desperate attempt to stop war, Senator John
Jordan Crittenden of Kentucky proposed
amendments to the Constitution.
• These Crittenden amendments were
proposed to please the South. Slavery was
to be prohibited in territories north of the 36’
30’ line and was to be federally protected
south of the line.

10.  Lincoln flat out rejected the
Crittenden amendments. With
that, hope of compromise was
ended, and the nation was
headed to civil war.

11. In Conclusion . . .
American Compromises, at first, were
relatively successful in pleasing both
parties. Later on, the compromises ended
up creating more tension and hatred
between the North and South, to the point
where compromise could no longer do a
thing.