Compromises Of The Founding Fathers: The Constitution

The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The delegates, who represented a wide range of interests and views, crafted several compromises to create a powerful central government while addressing concerns about centralized power. One of the key compromises was the Three-Fifths Compromise, which agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes. Another compromise was the agreement to allow the slave trade to continue until 1808. The ratification process was challenging, and the vote now, amend later strategy helped secure victory. The Constitution has endured as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally, demonstrating the Founding Fathers' ability to forge lasting compromises.

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The founding fathers agreed to bypass state legislatures and call for special ratifying conventions in each state

The founding fathers of the United States of America were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a new one. They were loyal to their states and wary of centralized power, so they crafted a powerful central government that reflected a compromise between wildly differing interests and views.

One of the most contentious issues was congressional representation. The delegates from Connecticut, a small-population state, proposed a compromise that was narrowly approved. They suggested that representatives in each house of the proposed bicameral legislature be selected through different means. The upper house (or Senate) would reflect the importance of state sovereignty by including two people from each state regardless of size. Meanwhile, the lower house (the House of Representatives) would have different numbers of representatives from each state determined by population. This became known as the Three-Fifths Compromise, where each state had one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate.

Another contentious issue was slavery. The delegates agreed that the slave trade could continue until 1808, and that enslaved Africans would be counted as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes.

The founding fathers' compromises resulted in a constitution that has endured for over two centuries and has been one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.

The Great Compromise: representatives in each house of the proposed bicameral legislature would be selected through different means

The founding fathers of the United States of America were tasked with revising the existing government but ended up creating a powerful central government with a completely new design. The delegates, representing wildly different interests and views, crafted compromises to form a powerful central government. One of the most contentious issues was congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states.

The delegates from Connecticut, a small-population state, proposed what became known as the "Great Compromise" or the Connecticut Compromise. This proposal narrowly got approved and struck a balance between the competing interests of small and large states. The proposal suggested that representatives in each house of the proposed bicameral legislature be selected through different means.

The upper house, or Senate, would include two people from each state regardless of its population, reflecting the importance of state sovereignty. Meanwhile, the lower house, or House of Representatives, would have different numbers of representatives from each state, determined by population. This meant that larger states like Virginia and North Carolina, which contributed more financially and defensively, would have a greater say in the central government.

The Great Compromise thus created a bicameral legislature, with each chamber representing a different type of political actor. The two-chamber legislature represents both the people (through the House of Representatives) and the states (through the Senate). This compromise was essential to forming a constitutional republic, and it stands today as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.

The Three-Fifths Compromise: enslaved Africans were counted as three-fifths of a person

The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention regarding the inclusion of slaves in a state's total population. This total population would determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes each state would be allocated, and the amount of money the states would pay in taxes.

The Southern states wanted each slave to count as a full person, whereas the Northern states did not want slaves to be counted at all. The Southern delegates threatened to abandon the convention if enslaved individuals were not counted. The compromise struck was to count three-fifths of each state's slave population towards that state's total population for the purpose of apportioning the House of Representatives. This gave the Southern states more power in the House relative to the Northern states.

The Three-Fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. It states:

> Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.

This compromise also had the effect of granting slaveholding states perpetual overrepresentation in national politics. However, the same three-fifths ratio was used to determine the federal tax contribution required of each state, thus increasing the direct federal tax burden of slaveholding states.

The Three-Fifths Compromise was eventually superseded and explicitly repealed by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.

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The delegates agreed that the slave trade could continue until 1808

The founding fathers of the United States of America faced a challenging task when they assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to draft the Constitution. The delegates represented states with diverse interests and views, and they had to navigate complex issues such as congressional representation and the contentious topic of slavery.

One of the most contentious issues faced by the founding fathers was the question of slavery. While many acknowledged that slavery conflicted with the ideals of liberty espoused by the American Revolution, they struggled to reconcile this with their commitment to private property rights and limited government. The Southern states, in particular, had embraced slave-based agriculture and held deeply ingrained racial prejudices, creating a formidable barrier to emancipation.

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 grappled with this issue, ultimately prioritizing the unity of the newly formed nation over the immediate eradication of slavery. They reached a compromise known as the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation and taxation in the House of Representatives.

However, the issue of the slave trade itself remained unresolved. The delegates agreed to postpone the decision on the slave trade, deciding that it could continue until 1808. This temporary resolution allowed them to set aside their differences and move forward with the creation of a new government.

The founding fathers were aware that they were creating a foundational document for the nation, and they understood the need to balance idealism with pragmatism. They recognized the imperfections of both men and government, striving to establish rules that would empower individuals to pursue their dreams while also limiting their desire for power over others.

The delegates' decision to allow the slave trade to continue until 1808 exemplifies their approach to compromise and their long-term vision for the country. By agreeing to a temporary resolution, they were able to forge a unified path forward, even if it meant postponing a definitive resolution on the morally fraught issue of slavery.

The founding fathers agreed on a Bill of Rights once the Constitution was ratified

The founding fathers of the United States of America were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a new one. The delegates had to navigate wildly differing interests and views, and compromise was essential to the formation of the republic. One of the most contentious issues was congressional representation and whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. The Three-Fifths Compromise was agreed upon, whereby each state received one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. Enslaved Africans were counted as three-fifths of a person for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.

Another compromise was the agreement to bypass state legislatures during the ratification process, instead calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. This was because members of state legislatures would likely be reluctant to give up power to a national government. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The "vote now, amend later" compromise also helped secure victory in Massachusetts and, eventually, the final holdout states.

The founding fathers were aware that they were creating a document that would stand the test of time. They understood the necessity of a government, knowing that "if men were angels, no government would be necessary". They created rules to allow individuals to pursue their dreams while also limiting their desire for power over others.

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