<Tr> <Th> Author (s) </Th> <Td> James Madison </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Purpose </Th> <Td> Propose a structure of government to the Philadelphia Convention </Td> </Tr> <P> The Virginia Plan (also known as the Randolph Plan, after its sponsor, or the Large - State Plan) was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch . The plan was drafted by James Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 . The Virginia Plan was notable for its role in setting the overall agenda for debate in the convention and, in particular, for setting forth the idea of population - weighted representation in the proposed national legislature . </P> <P> The Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation . The Virginia delegation took the initiative to frame the debate by immediately drawing up and presenting a proposal, for which delegate James Madison is given chief credit . However, it was Edmund Randolph, the Virginia governor at the time, who officially put it before the convention on May 29, 1787, in the form of 15 resolutions . </P>

How did the virginia plan differ from the articles of confederation