Federalists, named for their call for a confederation of states, supported the Constitution, which increased the power of the federal government. James Madison, the most influential Federalist, wrote the Virginia Plan as a plan for the new government system. According to the Virginia Plan, the number of state representatives in Congress would be proportionate to the state’s population. Another belief of the Federalists was that representatives distanced from their citizens would legislate better because they were detached from their community’s selfishness and could understand what the community really needed. In addition, aristocratic leaders were deemed better because they were highly educated and skilled, unlike the rest of the population
