Who is credited with creating the New Jersey Plan?

William Paterson is credited with creating the New Jersey Plan, which was proposed during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 as a response to the Virginia Plan. The New Jersey Plan aimed to address the concerns of smaller states that feared losing influence under a system that favored representation based on population. Paterson's plan suggested a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, regardless of size, ensuring that smaller states would have a voice in the federal government. This proposal was instrumental in the debates that ultimately led to the Connecticut Compromise, which created a bicameral legislature balancing the needs of both large and small states. Paterson's contributions were pivotal in shaping the structure of the U.S. government as it balances representation and state power.