Compromise: A Key To Unlocking The Us Constitution

The US Constitution, ratified by all 13 states in 1789, is often referred to as a bundle of compromises due to the delegates' need to find common ground on several key issues to create a government charter acceptable to each state. One of the most significant compromises was the Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, which addressed the issue of congressional representation. The compromise proposed a bicameral legislature, with the upper house or Senate providing equal representation for each state, and the lower house or House of Representatives having a number of representatives from each state proportional to its population. Another contentious issue was slavery, with delegates from the North seeking to end the slave trade and slavery itself, while Southern states, where the economy depended on slavery, vehemently opposed such measures. A compromise was reached, with the delegates agreeing to prohibit the international slave trade 20 years after the ratification of the Constitution, and enslaved people were counted as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of congressional representation, resulting in the Three-Fifths Compromise.

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The Great Compromise

The drafting of the U.S. Constitution, also known as the Constitutional Convention, was a highly contentious process. The delegates assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, but by June, they had decided to create a new constitution from scratch. This was a challenging task, as the delegates represented a wide range of interests and views. One of the fiercest arguments was over congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states.

The issue of slavery also played a significant role in the Constitutional Convention. Delegates from the Northern states, where the economy was not heavily dependent on slavery, opposed counting enslaved people towards representation. In contrast, Southern states, with a strong reliance on slavery, fought for enslaved individuals to be counted. The Three-Fifths Compromise was reached, where every five enslaved people were counted as three individuals for representation purposes. This compromise allowed the Southern states to gain more representatives while also partially addressing the concerns of the Northern states.

Another compromise related to slavery was the agreement to delay the abolition of the slave trade until 1808. Northern delegates wanted to block the expansion of slavery and prevent explicit protections for slavery in the Constitution. While they did not succeed in banning the slave trade immediately, they managed to secure a compromise that postponed it for over two decades. This compromise was a temporary solution to a highly divisive issue that threatened to derail the Union.

The Electoral College was also a product of compromise during the Constitutional Convention. The delegates initially considered various alternatives, such as electing the president through each state's Senate. The creation of the Electoral College allowed for proportional representation in presidential elections, with electors voting for the president on behalf of the citizens. This system aimed to balance the interests of the states and the need for a central governing body.

Overall, the Great Compromise and the other agreements reached during the Constitutional Convention demonstrate the critical role of compromise in drafting the U.S. Constitution. By finding middle ground on contentious issues, the delegates created a government charter acceptable to all 13 states, laying the foundation for one of the most enduring constitutions in the world.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Compromise came about as a result of disputes between Northern and Southern state delegates. Delegates from the Northern states, where the economy did not rely heavily on the enslavement of African people, argued that enslaved people should not be counted towards representation. This was because counting them would give the Southern states a greater number of representatives. Delegates from the Southern states, on the other hand, threatened to abandon the convention if enslaved individuals were not counted. They wanted their entire population to be considered when determining the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. The Southern states' economies were largely based on agriculture and relied on enslaved people, and they did not want the government interfering.

The Electoral College

The number of electors in the Electoral College is roughly proportional to the population of each state. Each state has the same number of electors as it does members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators. The District of Columbia is also allocated electors and is treated like a state for the purposes of the Electoral College.

The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, further influenced the structure of the Electoral College. This compromise addressed the issue of congressional representation, with larger states wanting representation based on population and smaller states demanding equal representation. The Great Compromise resulted in a bicameral Congress, with the House of Representatives allocated according to state population and the Senate providing each state with equal representation. This compromise influenced the distribution of electoral votes in the Electoral College, with each state's number of electoral votes based on its combined number of representatives in the House and Senate.

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The Fugitive Clause

The Fugitive Slave Clause, also known as the Fugitive Slave Act, was a highly controversial aspect of the US Constitution, and a significant compromise during its drafting. The clause, proposed by Pierce Butler and Charles Pinckney of South Carolina, is Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution. It was a compromise between the Northern and Southern states, which held vastly differing views on slavery.

The Northern states, where the economy did not rely heavily on slavery, opposed it and wanted to block the expansion of slavery. They did not want to write explicit protections for slavery into the Constitution. The Southern states, on the other hand, depended heavily on slavery and wanted to continue the slave trade. They also wanted enslaved people to be counted in terms of representation, which would give them more representatives.

The Fugitive Slave Clause was a compromise that allowed slaveholders to recover their enslaved property from another state. It required a "person held to service or labour" who flees to another state to be returned to their master. Importantly, the clause does not use the words "slave" or "slavery", which historian Donald Fehrenbacher believes was intentional to make it clear that slavery existed only under state law, not federal. This last-minute change made it impossible to interpret the Constitution as legally sanctioning slavery.

The Fugitive Slave Clause was in effect until the abolition of slavery under the Thirteenth Amendment, which rendered it unenforceable and mostly irrelevant. The amendment abolished slavery "except as a punishment for crime". The Fugitive Slave Clause was a highly contentious issue that threatened to derail the Union, and it was a significant compromise that helped shape the US Constitution.

The Connecticut Compromise

The issue of slavery also threatened to derail the Convention. Delegates from Northern states wanted to block the expansion of slavery, while Southern states relied on it for their economy. A compromise was reached, known as the Three-Fifths Compromise, where every five enslaved people would be counted as three individuals for representation purposes. This compromise further complicated the issue of popular representation in the House.

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