Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution is sometimes referred to as a bundle of compromises due to the numerous concessions made by delegates to create a government charter acceptable to each of the 13 states. One of the most significant compromises was the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, which addressed the issue of congressional representation. The Three-Fifths Compromise was another notable compromise, which determined how slaves would be counted for congressional representation. Other compromises include the creation of the Electoral College and the Commerce Compromise, which focused on the federal government's regulation of business.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Compromise | The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise |
| What it addressed | How to structure the presidency, how slaves would be counted in terms of representation, and how to determine congressional representation |
| Solution | The creation of the Electoral College, which is made up of electors roughly proportional to population |
| Name of Compromise | Three-Fifths Compromise |
| What it addressed | How slaves would be counted in terms of representation |
| Solution | Every five slaves would be counted as three individuals in terms of representation |
| Name of Compromise | Commerce Compromise |
| What it addressed | How the new federal government should regulate business |
| Solution | Congress would have the authority to control domestic and international trade, but not the slave trade for at least 20 years |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Compromise
The issue of representation was a contentious one, with delegates from small states objecting to the Virginia Plan's proposal of proportional representation in both houses. They argued that this would give larger states a greater say in the central government. The Great Compromise was a delicate solution that aimed to address the concerns of both large and small states. It was proposed by Roger Sherman and other delegates from Connecticut, and it was adopted by the Convention on July 16, 1787, by a single vote.
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Three-Fifths Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. It concerned the inclusion of slaves in counting a state's total population. This 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.
Slaveholding states wanted their entire population to be counted to determine the number of Representatives they could elect and send to Congress. Free states wanted to exclude the counting of slave populations in slave states, as those slaves had no voting rights. The compromise counted three-fifths of each state's slave population toward that state's total population for the purpose of apportioning the House of Representatives, giving the Southern states more power in the House relative to the North.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. It stated: "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."
The compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney. It was also supported by James Madison, who explained the reasoning for the 3/5 ratio in Federalist No. 54: "We subscribe to the doctrine," he wrote, "that representation relates more immediately to persons, and taxation more immediately to property, and we join in the application of this distinction to the case of our slaves. But we must deny the fact, that slaves are considered merely as property, and in no respect whatever as persons."
The Three-Fifths Compromise gave slaveholding states disproportionate representation in the House of Representatives and thus in national politics. However, it also increased their direct federal tax burden, as the same ratio was used to determine their federal tax contributions. The compromise was eventually superseded and explicitly repealed by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.
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Commerce Compromise
The Commerce Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise, was one of several key compromises that shaped the US Constitution. The Constitution, produced after the Constitutional Convention, was ratified by all 13 states in 1789 and is sometimes referred to as a "bundle of compromises". This is because delegates had to find common ground on several critical issues to establish a government charter acceptable to each of the 13 states.
The Commerce Compromise addressed the problems of interstate trade barriers and the ability to enter into trade agreements. It included the Commerce Clause, which grants Congress the power "to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes". This clause aimed to create a free trade zone among the states and enable the president and Congress to negotiate and approve treaties to open foreign markets to American-made goods.
The Commerce Compromise also addressed the issue of slavery. The "Three-fifths Clause" in Article I, Sect. II, Cl. 3 of the Constitution stated that "Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States... according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons... three-fifths of all other Persons". This clause counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for purposes of congressional representation and voting power in the Electoral College.
The Commerce Compromise was proposed by Roger Sherman and other delegates from Connecticut during the Constitutional Convention debates. It combined elements of the Virginia Plan, which provided for representation based on state population, and the New Jersey Plan, which proposed equal representation for each state. The Great Compromise mandated that tariffs were only allowed on imports and not exports and that all commerce legislation be passed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, giving more power to the less populous Southern states.
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Compromise on electing the president
The US Constitution, a document sometimes referred to as a "bundle of compromises", was ratified by all 13 states in 1789. One of the key issues that had to be resolved was how to elect the president. The framers of the Constitution had few historical examples to follow. European monarchs held too much power, while state constitutions produced executives too weak to govern effectively. The framers also feared executive power, remembering the abuses of King George III in colonial America.
Gouverneur Morris, a delegate from Pennsylvania, compared the debates on this issue to the Greek epic The Odyssey. He wrote in an 1802 letter: "every mode of electing the chief magistrate of a powerful nation hitherto adopted is liable to objection". Various methods for selecting the president were offered, reviewed, and discarded during the Constitutional Convention, including legislative, direct, gubernatorial, electoral, and even lottery.
The framers' commitment to the doctrine of separation of powers precluded election of the president by the national legislature. The framers also had to contend with the size of the country, which, along with a lack of communication and transportation, made a direct popular vote difficult. Ultimately, the framers decided on a system known as the "Electoral College".
The Electoral College is made up of electors roughly proportional to population. Citizens vote for electors, who are bound to a particular candidate and then vote for the president. The Electoral College preserved states' rights, increased the independence of the executive branch, and avoided popular election. However, it also gave slaveholding states more power, as the Constitution counted enslaved persons as three-fifths of a person for purposes of congressional representation and determining voting power in the Electoral College.
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Compromise on import tariffs
The US Constitution, produced after the Constitutional Convention and ratified by all 13 states in 1789, is sometimes referred to as a "bundle of compromises". One such compromise was the Import-Export Clause, which prevents states, without the consent of Congress, from imposing tariffs on imports and exports above what is necessary for their inspection laws.
Before the Constitution's adoption, states would impose tariffs on goods from foreign countries and other colonies, often to protect or promote domestic industries. However, this led to considerable commercial strife between the states. The Import-Export Clause was adopted by the Constitutional Convention to address this issue, and it received more debate than the Export Clause or the Commerce Clause.
The Framers of the Constitution sought to address three main concerns with the Import-Export Clause:
- The Federal Government must be the sole entity to impose tariffs on imports, with no concurrent state power, to ensure a unified national power to regulate commerce and prevent states from imposing tariffs that conflicted with Congress' efforts to regulate trade with foreign nations.
- Import revenues were to be the major source of revenue for the Federal Government, and should not be diverted to the states.
- Harmony among the states might be disturbed unless certain states with crucial ports of entry were prohibited from levying taxes on citizens of other states by taxing goods flowing through their ports.
The adoption of the Import-Export Clause was not without its critics. Some delegates argued against a blanket prohibition on state-imposed tariffs, asserting that states may wish to impose duties to assist competitive industries within their borders. However, this argument was rejected, and the Import-Export Clause was adopted, with the understanding that tariffs on imports would be the main source of revenue for the Federal Government.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, was an agreement that established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate. It combined the Virginia Plan and the Jersey Plan, ensuring that all states had a voice in the federal government.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement that addressed how slaves would be counted to determine congressional representation. Every five slaves were counted as three individuals, with enslaved people being considered three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation and taxation.
The Electoral College was created as a compromise between electing the president through each state's Senate or by popular vote. It is made up of electors roughly proportional to the population, with citizens voting for electors who then vote for the president.
The Commerce Compromise gave Congress the authority to regulate domestic and international trade, but not the slave trade for at least 20 years. This was a controversial issue, as some states feared central government interference, while others recognised the need for a central authority to control commerce.
