Eleanor Finch
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. Two of the most significant compromises were the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Great Compromise.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Compromise | The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise |
| What it addressed | How states were to be represented in the new government |
| What it decided | There would be two chambers in Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate would be based on equal representation for each state and the House would be based on population. |
| Name of Compromise | Three-Fifths Compromise |
| What it addressed | How slaves would be counted to determine congressional representation |
| What it decided | Three-fifths (60%) of enslaved people in each state would count toward congressional representation. |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Compromise
By diffusing legislative power between these two chambers of Congress, the Framers of the Constitution aimed to promote the separation of powers, federalism, and the protection of individual rights. This compromise was significant as it addressed the concerns of both large and small states, ensuring that neither group would be at a disadvantage due to their size.
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Three-Fifths Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention regarding the inclusion of slaves in counting a state's total population. This total population count would determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes each state would be allocated, and how much money the states would pay in taxes.
The Southern states, which had an agricultural economy, wanted their entire population to be counted, including enslaved individuals, to determine the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. On the other hand, the Northern states, which had an industrialised economy, wanted to exclude the counting of slave populations in slave states, as those slaves had no voting rights. The Southern states threatened to abandon the convention if enslaved individuals were not counted.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney. It was an amendment to the Articles of Confederation proposed on April 18, 1783, which changed the basis for determining a state's wealth, and hence its tax obligations, from real estate to population. According to the Three-Fifths Compromise, each state's total population would be calculated by adding the number of free individuals and three-fifths of the slave population. This compromise effectively gave the Southern states more power in the House of Representatives relative to the North. It also resulted in the slaveholding states being overrepresented in national politics and increased their direct federal tax burden.
The Three-Fifths Compromise 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.
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Electoral College Compromise
The Electoral College Compromise addressed the process of choosing the president of the United States. The agreement stipulated that an Electoral College, made up of electors chosen by each state, would elect the president. Each state would have the same number of electors as senators and representatives in the House of Representatives.
The topic was a difficult one, as some delegates supported direct popular election, while others supported election by Congress. The Electoral College Compromise was a middle ground between these two positions. One of its advantages was that it allowed for the election of the president by a body of people who were not necessarily affiliated with any political party or faction. This was seen as a way to ensure that the president would be chosen on the basis of ability rather than political ties.
The Electoral College system has since led to some controversy. In both the 2000 and 2016 elections, one candidate won the popular vote, but the other candidate won the Electoral College and, therefore, the presidency. Critics argue that this system allows a small group of representatives to decide the presidency, rather than the entire population of the United States. They also argue that states with smaller populations have a disproportionate say in who becomes president.
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Federal powers
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.
The delegates compromised by allotting specific responsibilities to the federal government while delegating all other functions to the states. This was a central issue at the Convention, with many delegates believing that the federal government should be able to overrule state laws, while others feared that a strong federal government would oppress their citizens.
The Great Compromise, also called the Connecticut Compromise, established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate. This compromise satisfied both small and large states, but there are questions today about whether the Senate's representation should be based on population, as in the House of Representatives.
The Three-Fifths Compromise addressed the issue of how slaves would be counted in order to determine congressional representation. This compromise held that every five enslaved people would be counted as three individuals. This greatly increased the number of congressional seats in several states, particularly in the South.
The delegates also agreed on the Electoral College as the method of selecting the president. This was a difficult topic, as some delegates supported direct people election while others supported election by Congress. The Electoral College provided a number of advantages, including permitting the election of the president by a body of people who were not necessarily affiliated with any political party or faction.
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Slavery
The issue of slavery was a key topic at the Constitutional Convention, with Northern and Southern states taking opposing positions. The Northern states wanted to end the importation and sale of enslaved people, while the Southern states felt that slavery was vital to their economy. This disagreement threatened to tear the Union apart, but a compromise was reached. The Three-Fifths Compromise, also known as the "Great Compromise", was a deal between the North and the South that addressed how slaves would be counted for congressional representation. For every five enslaved people, three would be counted as individuals. This compromise greatly increased the number of congressional seats in several Southern states. While the word "slavery" does not appear in the Constitution, the Three-Fifths Compromise was a recognition of slavery and the right to property in man.
The Northern delegates wanted to block the expansion of slavery and did not want to include explicit protections for slavery in the Constitution. They hoped that enough Northern states would move towards emancipation that slavery might die out within a few generations. However, they were willing to protect the existing property rights of slaveholders and compromise with Southern slaveholders to form a new Union and create a stronger national government. The Southern slaveholders, on the other hand, fought for protections against future attempts by Northerners to restrict or abolish slavery.
Another compromise was reached over the slave trade. Congress agreed that it could ban the international slave trade, but only 20 years after the ratification of the Constitution, on January 1, 1808. This clause protected the slave trade until 1808, and during this period, over 200,000 enslaved people were imported into the United States. In 1808, Congress did indeed abolish the slave trade. Additionally, the Northern states agreed to wait until 1808 before Congress could ban the trade of enslaved people within the U.S.
These compromises were necessary to bridge the gaps between the different interests and perspectives of the states. While not all parties were fully satisfied, the Constitution was ultimately ratified, and it has served as the foundation of the United States federal government for over two centuries.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise. The former established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate. The latter addressed how slaves would be counted to determine congressional representation.
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, combined the Virginia Plan and the Jersey Plan. It established a two-chamber Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives. This allowed for both equal representation for each state and representation based on population.
The Three-Fifths Compromise stated that every five enslaved people would be counted as three individuals for the purpose of congressional representation. This greatly increased the number of congressional seats in several states, particularly in the South.
The issue of slavery was central to the debates over commerce and representation. Northern delegates wanted to block the expansion of slavery and did not want to write explicit protection for slavery into the Constitution. Southern slaveholders fought to build in protections against future anti-slavery attempts to restrict or abolish slavery. The compromise was that Congress could ban the international slave trade, but only 20 years after the ratification of the Constitution—January 1, 1808.
