well A and C both happened in the 80's but B was in the 70's.. So someone made the choices unreliable. But the best answer would be
<u>D.) All of the above.</u>
During the <em>English civil war</em>, England left the colonies alone for a period of twenty years. While the English were fighting the colonies were free and essentially got away with anything, this included not obeying the Navigation Act of 1651.
Commerce in tobacco and materials used in shipping attached the colonies economically to England, the politics and religion also tied the colonies to England, but in general the English left the colonies to their own means. The <em>English civil war</em> demanded the colonists in America to review their place within the English domain; the colonies that were consider old colonies such as Virginia and Maryland supported the crown, while newer colonies like Massachusetts Bay tendered to favor the English Parliament. Nevertheless, during the war all colonies remained neutral, fearing that supporting either side could implicate them in the war.
Charles I's death penalty and execution in 1649 changed that neutrality. Six colonies, including Virginia, declared their loyalty to the dead monarch's son Charles II. The English Parliament replied with and Act in 1650, which levelled an economic imposition forcing them to accept the Parliaments authority. The Navigation Act of 1651 followed this imposition, pressuring the merchants in every colony to ship goods directly to England in England ships.
Both plans involved how the new Constitution would define representation in Congress. The Virginia Plan proposed that the number of delegates be based upon population, thus favoring larger states with more people. The New Jersey Plan proposed that each state have an equal number of delegates, thus favoring smaller states with fewer people.
Under the Virginia Plan, a state like Virginia would have had a much greater say in Congress than smaller New Jersey since Virginia had a larger population. Under the New Jersey Plan, New Jerseyans would have had a disproportionate say relative to Virginians. Consider this, if each state had two delegates (under the NJ Plan) let's say New Jersey had 500,000 people and Virginia had 1,000,000 (not the real numbers). With two delegates, New Jersey would have had 1 say in Congress per 250,000 voters while Virginia would have had 1 say in Congress per 500,000 voters.
These differences were resolved by creating a bicameral legislature. Today, the House of Representatives is a remnant of the Virginia Plan. States with larger populations have more seats in the House than those with smaller populations. For example, California has far more Representatives than Wyoming meaning California has a much greater say in the House. The Senate, on the other hand, is a remnant of the New Jersey Plan. Each state has two Senators regardless of population, which means each state has an equal say. Again, California has two Senators and Wyoming has two Senators despite the fact that California is much larger than Wyoming - this gives Wyoming a much greater say per voters than California. No law can pass through Congress without approval from both chambers of Congress, which means that smaller states are not overpowered, while larger states still have the ability to set the agenda.
