 Paterson 's New Jersey Plan was ultimately a rebuttal to the Virginia Plan , and was much closer to the initial call for the Convention : drafting amendments to the Articles of Confederation to fix the problems in it . Under the New Jersey Plan , the existing Continental Congress would remain , but it would be granted new powers , such as the power to levy taxes and force their collection . An executive branch was created , to be elected by Congress ( the plan allowed for a multi @-@ person executive ) . The executives would serve a single term and were subject to recall on the request of state governors . The plan also created a judiciary that would serve for life , to be appointed by the executives . Lastly , any laws set by Congress would take precedence over state laws . When Paterson reported the plan to the Convention on June 15 , 1787 , it was ultimately rejected , but it gave the smaller states a rallying point for their interests . 
