The Great Compromise: A Balanced 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 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. One of the most significant compromises was the Great Compromise, which established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate, thus balancing the interests of larger and smaller states. Another compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, addressed how slaves would be counted to determine congressional representation, with every five enslaved people being counted as three individuals. The issue of slavery threatened to tear the Union apart, but the delegates agreed to postpone it until 1808. The delegates also compromised on the method of selecting the president, opting for the Electoral College system. These compromises were essential in creating the United States Constitution and the federal government as we know it today.

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The Great Compromise

The Virginia Plan, proposed by James Madison, suggested a bicameral national legislature with representation in both houses proportional to the population of each state. This plan was supported by delegates from larger states, who argued that their greater contribution to the nation's resources entitled them to a greater say in the central government. On the other hand, delegates from smaller states objected to the Virginia Plan, advocating for equal representation for each state. This proposal was known as the New Jersey Plan, which suggested a unicameral (one-house) legislature.

Another significant compromise was the Three-Fifths Compromise, which addressed how slaves would be counted for determining congressional representation. Delegates from Northern states, where the economy was not heavily reliant on slavery, argued that slaves should not be counted towards representation. In contrast, Southern states, with a strong agricultural economy dependent on slavery, fought for slaves to be included in representation calculations. The compromise dictated that for every five enslaved people, three would be counted as individuals. Additionally, the issue of slavery itself was temporarily resolved, with the delegates agreeing to allow the slave trade to continue until 1808.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

The delegates from the Northern states, where the economy did not rely heavily on the enslavement of African people, felt that enslaved people should not be counted toward representation because counting them would provide the Southern states with a greater number of representatives. Southern states, on the other hand, fought for enslaved individuals to be counted in terms of representation, threatening to abandon the convention if this demand was not met.

Eventually, the framers agreed on a compromise that called for representation in the House of Representatives to be apportioned on the basis of a state’s free population plus three-fifths of its enslaved population. This agreement came to be known as the Three-Fifths Compromise. The compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney. It was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. In 1868, Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment superseded this clause and explicitly repealed the compromise.

The Commerce Compromise

Under the Articles of Confederation, which governed the United States from 1781 to 1787, each state had one vote in Congress. However, as the country moved towards creating a new Constitution, two opposing plans emerged: the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan, proposed by Madison and Wilson, advocated for representation based on each state's population, while the New Jersey Plan favoured equal representation for every state, regardless of population.

This compromise aimed to balance the interests of larger and smaller states, ensuring that both had a voice in the legislative process. It was a hard-fought victory for Madison and Wilson, who had to concede on representation in the Senate but succeeded in securing representation by population in the House.

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The Electoral College

The framers debated a range of ways to select the president, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Election by Congress would place the decision in the hands of knowledgeable leaders, but there were concerns that the president would become a mere tool of their supporters in Congress. Election by popular vote had the advantage of rooting the presidency in popular sovereignty.

Ultimately, the two sides compromised and created the Electoral College. This system attempts to balance the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of selecting the president. Today, the Electoral College consists of 538 electors drawn from the states and the District of Columbia. These electors cast their votes for president and vice president in December, and a candidate who receives a majority of these votes wins, even if they lost the popular vote.

Ratification by 9 of 13 states

The creation of the U.S. Constitution was a long and arduous process, with fierce debates and arguments over congressional representation and the role of slavery in the nation. The country was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which gave the Confederation Congress power but no enforcement capabilities, and it soon became clear that a stronger, more centralized government was needed. Representatives from all 13 states were invited to a convention in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787, to address these issues and draft a new Constitution.

The delegates at the convention had differing interests and views, and they crafted several compromises to bridge their differences. One of the key compromises was the Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, which addressed the issue of state representation. The Virginia Plan proposed representation based on state population, while the Jersey Plan favoured equal representation for each state. The Connecticut Compromise combined both plans, establishing a bicameral legislature with two chambers: the Senate, with equal representation for each state, and the House of Representatives, with representation based on population.

Another contentious issue was slavery. Delegates from Northern states opposed slavery and wanted to end the importation and sale of enslaved people, while Southern states argued that slavery was vital to their economy. A compromise was reached with the Three-Fifths Compromise, where every five enslaved people would be counted as three individuals for representation purposes. Additionally, the delegates agreed to prohibit the slave trade from 1808 onwards.

The Electoral College was also a product of compromise. The framers debated various methods of selecting the president, including popular vote, election by Congress, or state governors. They ultimately agreed on the Electoral College, a system where electors from each state cast votes for the president and vice president.

The Constitution stipulated that it would require ratification by nine of the 13 existing states to come into effect. The first state to ratify was Delaware on December 7, 1787. The ratification process was a close contest, and the tide turned in Massachusetts, where the "vote now, amend later" compromise helped secure victory. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, officially enacting the new government framework.

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