Virginia Plan
Calling for the creation of a supreme national government, the Virginia Plan was a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation. Modeled on the existing state governments, the plan called for three branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial). Since the legislature appointed both the executive and judicial branches, however, the plan lacked the system of checks and balances that would become central to the US Constitution. It was presented to the convention as fifteen draft resolutions that outlined basic principles of government.