Compromises Shaping The Constitution

The United States Constitution was created through a series of compromises among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The delegates, representing 12 of the 13 original states, met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation, which had been the governing document of the United States since the American Revolution. However, the delegates soon realized that a more comprehensive overhaul was needed, and they set out to create a new constitution. The Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Electoral College were the three key compromises that helped shape the Constitution.

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The Great Compromise

The compromise was proposed by Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth and was a combination of the Virginia Plan and the Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan, proposed by James Madison and introduced by Edmund Randolph, advocated for a bicameral legislature with representation based on state population. On the other hand, the Jersey Plan proposed equal representation for every state. The Great Compromise merged these two ideas, satisfying both large and small states.

The delegates from smaller states had strongly objected to the idea of proportional representation in the Senate, arguing that it would diminish their influence. They threatened to unravel the proceedings with their persistent protests. The larger states, on the other hand, felt they deserved greater representation because they contributed more financially and defensively to the nation. The Great Compromise was a delicate solution to this impasse, and it laid the groundwork for the federal government's operation and the power dynamics between the states and the federal government.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Southern states, whose economies relied heavily on slavery, wanted their entire population to be counted to determine the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. Northern states, where the economy did not rely heavily on slavery, wanted to exclude the counting of slave populations in slave states, since those slaves had no voting rights.

The Electoral College Compromise

The United States Constitution was created through a series of compromises among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The delegates, representing 12 of the 13 original states, met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation, which had been the governing document of the United States since the American Revolution. However, they soon realized that a more comprehensive overhaul was needed, and they set out to create a new constitution.

Ultimately, the two sides compromised and created the Electoral College, which is comprised of electors roughly proportional to the population. Citizens vote for electors bound to a particular candidate who then votes for the president. This system guaranteed every state at least three electors, regardless of population, giving smaller states a stronger role in the presidential election. Additionally, allowing both the states and the federal government to participate in the presidential election helped strike a balance between their interests.

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The Fugitive Slave Law

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 built upon the Fugitive Slave Clause, which was included in the US Constitution in 1787. The Clause stated that "no person held to service or labor" would be freed if they escaped to a free state. Despite this, anti-slavery sentiment remained strong in the North, and many petitioned Congress to abolish slavery. This led to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which gave slave owners and their agents the right to search for and capture fugitive slaves in free states. However, this law was largely unenforced.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 strengthened the existing legislation and included several new regulations. It required federal and local law enforcement in all states, both "slave" and "free," to enforce the legislation and arrest suspected fugitive slaves. It also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves. Additionally, anyone aiding an enslaved person in escaping was subject to imprisonment and a fine. These strict requirements angered many in the North, who saw it as a violation of their rights and an infringement on their states' sovereignty.

The Compromise of 1850, including the Fugitive Slave Act, was an attempt to ease tensions between the North and the South and prevent the South from seceding. However, it ultimately failed to resolve the issue of slavery, which would soon tear the nation apart in the Civil War. The Fugitive Slave Acts were finally repealed in 1864, during the Civil War, and slavery was officially abolished in the United States in 1865 with the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

Tariffs and interstate commerce

One of the earliest debates involving the Constitution centred on the use of tariffs by Congress to raise revenue for the federal government. Tariffs are taxes imposed by the federal government on imported goods and services. While the president does not have direct power over tariffs, Congress has delegated tasks such as setting tariff rates to the executive branch since the 1930s. The Constitution's Article I, Section 8 grants Congress the power to lay and collect these taxes. However, Article I, Section 10, Clause 2 bars individual states from setting their own tariffs without Congressional consent.

The issue of interstate commerce was also addressed in the Constitution through the Commerce Clause. This clause grants Congress the power to "regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes". This clause was included to address the problems of interstate trade barriers and enable the federal government to negotiate trade agreements with foreign powers. The Commerce Clause empowers Congress to address issues that individual states cannot effectively resolve on their own.

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention also debated the representation of states in the new government. The Virginia Plan proposed representation based on state population, while the New Jersey Plan favoured equal representation for each state. The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, resolved this dispute by establishing a bicameral legislature. The House of Representatives would have proportional representation, while the Senate would provide equal representation for each state.

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