Compromises: The Constitution's Foundation

The United States Constitution is often referred to as a bundle of compromises due to the numerous concessions made by delegates during its drafting to ensure it was acceptable to all 13 states. The Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia in 1787, saw 55 delegates from 12 states come together to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, they ultimately decided to create a new Constitution, requiring them to find common ground on several contentious issues, including state representation, slavery, and interstate commerce. The delegates' personal desires had to be set aside in favour of what was deemed suitable for the nation as a whole, resulting in a document that contained compromises for all involved.

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The Great Compromise, or Connecticut Compromise, merged the Virginia and New Jersey plans

The US Constitution, which was ratified by all 13 states in 1789, is sometimes referred to as a "bundle of compromises". This is because delegates had to make concessions on several key points to create a government charter that was acceptable to all 13 states.

One of the key compromises that helped make the US Constitution a reality was The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise. This compromise merged the Virginia and New Jersey plans, which had emerged to deal with state representation. The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and Edmund Randolph and introduced to the Convention on May 29, 1787, proposed the creation of a bicameral national legislature, or a legislature consisting of two houses, in which the “rights of suffrage” in both houses would be proportional to the size of each state. In other words, each state’s representation in Congress would be based on its population.

However, delegates from small states objected to this idea, arguing that they would have a weaker say in the central government. In response, William Paterson of the New Jersey delegation proposed what became known as the New Jersey Plan, which he presented to the Convention on June 15. The New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral (one-house) legislature in which each state had a single vote, regardless of population.

The Convention voted down Paterson’s proposal on June 19 and affirmed its commitment to a bicameral legislature on June 21. The delegates from the smaller states continued to protest proportional representation in the Senate, threatening to unravel the proceedings. However, a vote on equal representation in the Senate on July 2 resulted in a tie, opening the possibility for compromise. A committee was appointed to reach a final resolution, and on July 5, the committee submitted its report, which became the basis for the "Great Compromise".

The report, known as the Connecticut Compromise, recommended that each state should have an equal vote in the upper house, and in the lower house, each state should have one representative for every 40,000 inhabitants, counting three-fifths of each state's enslaved population toward that state's total population. This compromise retained the bicameral legislature as proposed by Roger Sherman, along with proportional representation of the states in the lower house or House of Representatives, and it required the upper house or Senate to be weighted equally among the states, with each state having two members in the Senate.

The Three-Fifths Compromise counted every five enslaved people as three individuals

The US Constitution is often referred to as a "bundle of compromises" because delegates from 13 states had to agree on several key points to create a government charter acceptable to all. One of the most significant compromises was The Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted every five enslaved people as three individuals. This compromise was reached between delegates from the Northern and Southern states during the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

The issue of enslavement threatened to tear the Union apart, with Northern and Southern states taking opposing positions. The Northern states, where the economy did not rely heavily on the enslavement of African people, wanted to end the importation and sale of enslaved individuals. They also felt that enslaved people should not be counted towards representation, as counting them would give the Southern states a greater number of representatives. On the other hand, the Southern states, whose economy depended on the enslavement of African people, threatened to abandon the convention if enslaved individuals were not counted.

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise that called for representation in the House of Representatives to be based on a state's free population plus three-fifths of its enslaved population. This agreement gave the slaveholding states the right to count three-fifths of their enslaved population when allocating representatives to Congress, leading to their overrepresentation in national politics. However, this same ratio was used to determine the federal tax contribution required of each state, increasing the direct federal tax burden on the slaveholding states.

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a complex and controversial agreement that had far-reaching implications for the representation and taxation of slaveholding states in the US. It was a compromise that attempted to balance the interests and concerns of both the Northern and Southern states during the Constitutional Convention.

The Electoral College was created to elect the president

The US Constitution is sometimes referred to as a "bundle of compromises" due to the numerous concessions delegates had to make to create a government charter that was acceptable to all 13 states. One such compromise was the creation of the Electoral College, which was established to elect the president.

The Electoral College was created by the Founding Fathers as a compromise between electing the president by a vote in Congress and electing the president by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but the process is part of its original design. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 electoral votes are required to elect the president.

The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College. These electors then meet to select the president and vice president of the United States. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two senators.

The creation of the Electoral College was a compromise that allowed for the election of the president by a body of electors, rather than directly by the people or by Congress. This system was designed to balance the interests of small and large states and to ensure that the president was chosen by a group of individuals representing the people.

The Electoral College has been a subject of debate and proposals for reform over the years. While it was designed to be a fair and balanced system, some argue that it has not always reflected the popular vote and may not always result in the election of the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide.

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The issue of slavery was debated, with the North wanting to end it and the South wanting to keep it

The US Constitution is sometimes referred to as a "bundle of compromises" because delegates from each of the 13 states had to make several concessions to create a government charter that was acceptable to all. One of the most prominent issues debated during the Constitutional Convention was that of slavery, with the North and South taking opposing positions.

The North, which had an industrialised economy and produced many finished goods, did not rely heavily on slavery and wanted to end the practice. Northern states wanted to restrict slavery's expansion into the western territories and prevent its spread into new states. They viewed slavery as a threat to civil rights and free labour, and wanted to protect their expanding economies and increasing congressional representation. Northerners also wanted to end the importation and sale of enslaved people and impose import tariffs on finished products to protect against foreign competition and encourage the South to buy goods made in the North.

On the other hand, the South, which had an agricultural economy and relied heavily on slavery, wanted to preserve the institution. Southerners argued that slavery was vital to their economy and that it had existed throughout history, citing examples from ancient Greece and Rome to more recent times in England. They also used biblical passages to justify slavery, noting that it was mentioned in the Bible without condemnation. Additionally, the South wanted enslaved people to be counted towards representation, which would give them a greater number of representatives.

The issue of slavery was a highly contentious one, and it threatened to tear the Union apart. Ultimately, several compromises were made to address the issue, including the Three-Fifths Compromise, which dictated that every five enslaved people would be counted as three individuals in terms of representation. However, these compromises only temporarily papered over the cracks, and the issue of slavery would eventually lead to the Civil War.

The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation

The delegates had to compromise and adopt what was acceptable to all of America and suitable for the nation as a whole. There were many compromises made at the Constitutional Convention, including representation, slavery, and laws concerning foreign and interstate imports and exports. The delegates had opposing views and strong disagreements, yet they had to come to an agreement. For example, the Virginia Plan provided representation based on each state's population, while the Jersey Plan proposed equal representation for every state. The Great Compromise, also called the Connecticut Compromise, combined both plans.

Another key compromise was the three-fifths compromise, which dictated that every five enslaved people would be counted as three individuals in terms of representation. This was a compromise between the Northern and Southern states, as the Southern states, where 90% of slaves lived in 1787, wanted enslaved individuals to be counted toward representation, while the Northern states, where the economy did not rely heavily on the enslavement of African people, disagreed. Additionally, the Northern states wanted the government to impose import tariffs on finished products to protect against foreign competition and encourage the South to buy goods made in the North. The compromise mandated that tariffs were only allowed on imports from foreign countries and not exports from the US, and that the federal government would regulate interstate commerce.

The Constitution was sent to Congress for review on September 17, 1787, and then to the states for ratification, which took about two years. The Constitution faced opposition from Anti-Federalists, who believed it gave too much power to the national government. Despite the challenges, the Constitution was ratified by all 13 states in 1789, demonstrating the delegates' ability to find common ground and create a governing document that united the nation.

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