The Commerce Compromise, a pivotal agreement between the North and South in the run-up to the American Civil War, emerged from the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The three-fifths compromise counted slaves as three-fifths of a free person for purposes of taxation and representation, while the slave trade compromise prohibited Congress from banning the importation of slaves before 1808. In turn, the revenue bill compromise, passed in 1833, addressed the sectional conflict over tariffs by reducing duties on imports, appeasing both Northern manufacturers and Southern planters. Together, these measures offered a fragile balance between the competing economic interests of the different regions of the United States.
The Commerce Compromise (Also Known As The Three-Fifths Compromise)
The Commerce Compromise or the Three-Fifths Compromise was a piece of crucial legislation drafted during the United States Constitutional Convention in 1787. This compromise addressed two significant issues that had emerged during the convention’s debates: taxation and representation.
Taxation and Representation:
- The Northern states, which had larger populations, wanted to base representation in the House of Representatives on total population.
- The Southern states, which had smaller populations but larger slave populations, opposed the idea of basing representation solely on total population. They feared that this would give the North an unfair advantage in terms of representation and taxation.
The Compromise:
To resolve this conflict, a compromise was reached. It specified that:
- For the purposes of representation, slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a free person.
- For the purposes of taxation, slaves would not be counted at all.
How it Worked:
- Representation: Suppose a state has 100,000 free people and 50,000 slaves. Under the compromise, the state would get representation in the House of Representatives for 80,000 people (100,000 + (50,000 x 3/5)).
- Taxation: The state would not pay taxes on the slave population, despite the fact that slaves were counted as people for the purposes of representation.
Impact of the Compromise:
- The Commerce Compromise helped to secure the support of the Southern states for the new Constitution.
- It provided a temporary solution to the issue of slavery and its impact on representation and taxation.
- However, it also set the stage for future conflicts and divisions between the North and South over the issue of slavery.
Timeline of Events:
- June 21, 1787: The Commerce Compromise was first proposed by James Madison of Virginia.
- July 16, 1787: The Committee of the Whole approved the compromise.
- August 24, 1787: The Constitutional Convention approved the compromise as part of the final draft of the Constitution.
Additional Points:
- The Commerce Compromise was only a temporary solution to the issue of slavery. It did not resolve the moral and ethical issues surrounding slavery.
- The compromise remained in effect until the passage of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in 1868, which abolished slavery and granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States.
Question 1: What was the Commerce Compromise?
Answer: The Commerce Compromise was a legislative agreement reached in the United States Congress in 1833 that temporarily resolved the tariff dispute between the North and the South.
Question 2: What were the key provisions of the Commerce Compromise?
Answer: The key provisions of the Commerce Compromise included reducing the tariff to a maximum of 20% ad valorem and phasing out the remaining tariff over a period of ten years.
Question 3: What were the long-term effects of the Commerce Compromise?
Answer: The Commerce Compromise temporarily eased tensions between the North and the South, but ultimately failed to address the underlying economic and political divisions that would eventually lead to the American Civil War.
Alright, folks! That’s the lowdown on the Commerce Compromise. It’s like those deals where everyone ends up giving a little bit to get a little bit, but in this case, the stakes were way higher. Thanks for hanging out and soaking up some history knowledge. If you’re feeling thirsty for more, be sure to drop by again later. We’ve got plenty more where that came from!