explain how the Great Compromise and the Electoral College, when combined with the Three-Fifths Compromise, affect the political power of southern states.
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, established a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation based on population in the House of Representatives. This ensured that small states would have equal representation in the Senate while larger states would have more representatives in the House.
The Electoral College is the system used to elect the President of the United States, where each state is allocated a certain number of electoral votes based on their representation in Congress. This system gives smaller states more weight in the election process compared to a popular vote system.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement that counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of determining a state's population and representation in Congress. This compromise gave southern states more political power in Congress as they had larger populations due to the presence of slaves.
When these three compromises are combined, southern states were able to maximize their political power in Congress and in presidential elections. The Great Compromise ensured they had representation in both houses of Congress, the Electoral College gave them a disproportionate influence in electing the President, and the Three-Fifths Compromise inflated their population and representation in Congress. This allowed southern states to exert significant control over the political processes and decisions of the United States during this time period.