James Madison

JAMES MADISON

Also known as (aka) Manthan Kothari from Dr. Sehr's period 2 class

Good morrow. My name is James Madison and I represent the great state of Virginia. Virginia, being the first colony, has appealed to many settlers. We now have the largest population in the United States. Virginia's economy revolves around the plantation owners, who are also the wealthiest people in Virginia and possibly even the nation. The owners run large tobacco plantations or plantations/farms of other crops. Since there are so many plantation owners there is an abundance of surplus products. These products are usually traded internationally. In my mighty state of Virginia, we want a population based representation. Almost every planter in the state wants the state to handle most of the affairs like interstate and international trade. Since slaves are human beings, just like us, they should be counter for the yearly census.

I have come up with a representation plan for the congress. I call it the Virginia Plan. The idea is to have a two-house legislature with membership based on the state's population. The voters would elect member of the lower house who will elect members of the upper house. This plan seems to be the perfect idea of a government. It is an indirect way to have the people's voice heard in the government. It is also a way to develop a trustworthy relationship between the people and the state. Moreover, this way, with the people voting for multiple representatives, majority would rule and the people would stay happy.

Slaves have been key figures in the south for a long time. They keep the economy running by planting and farming. Abolishing slavery would shut down any economical progress or success in the south. Just as the north uses indentured servants or other labor workers for the manufacturing of goods, the southern states also need a source of effective labor, which is slavery. For the United States to be a great country in the world, every state needs to prosper. If half the states do not have enough manpower to run the business, the overall economy and welfare of the country would be disrupted.

Slaves should be counted in the population in each state. Slaves are also humans. It would be an insult to slaves if they were called property just as it would be an insult to any free man. Furthermore, if slaves are counted, according to the Virginia Plan, there would be more representation in the legislature. This would get the slave