Question

On the 200th birthday of the U.S.

Constitution
, Thurgood Marshall called it a flawed document. Marshall was the first African American to become a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He pointed out that the framers had left out a majority of Americans when they wrote, "We the People." The phrase begins the Constitution. Some members of the Constitutional Convention objected to slavery. However, Marshall said they agreed to the Constitution, "which laid a foundation for the tragic events" that followed.

Protecting The "Slave" Trade
The word "slave" does not appear in the Constitution. The framers avoided the ugly word on purpose. Nevertheless, slavery was protected in the Constitution. Enslaved people were counted as three-fifths of white people for determining how many congressmen each state would have. The
compromise
gave the South more seats in the House of Representatives. It also gave Southern states more votes in the Electoral College. Thomas Jefferson would have lost the election of 1800 if not for the Three-Fifths Compromise. The Constitution also stopped Congress from ending the Atlantic slave trade for 20 years. In addition, the Constitution required that enslaved people who escaped be returned to their enslavers. The Constitution gave the federal government the power to put down
rebellions
, including rebellions by enslaved people.

The framers of the Constitution wanted a strong central government. They believed that they would get the support of Southern
delegates
if they gave in on slavery. If they did not, South Carolina and Georgia would refuse to join the Union. By avoiding the slavery issue, the framers created future conflict. After the convention, James Madison wrote that the largest difference in the U.S. was between North and South. Slavery was "the line of discrimination," he said.

Nearly Half Of Delegates Were Enslavers
There were 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention. About 25 of them were enslavers. Many of the framers thought slavery was not moral, and some joined anti-slavery societies. Two of them were Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton. Franklin had once enslaved people. Hamilton was born in a slave colony in the British West Indies.

On August 21, 1787, a bitter argument broke out. South Carolina did not want the government to control the Atlantic slave trade. Luther Martin was a delegate from Maryland. He was an enslaver, but spoke against the Atlantic slave trade. He said that the federal government should make rules on the slave trade since the entire country would be responsible for putting down revolts by enslaved people. He also thought the slave trade was against America's ideals. He called it "dishonorable to the American character" to include it in the Constitution.

Delegates Debate The Issue Of Slavery
John Rutledge of South Carolina responded forcefully. "Religion and humanity have nothing to do with this question." The decision on the slave trade should be left to the states to decide or the Southern-most states will not join the Union, he argued. George Mason was a Virginia delegate, who enslaved hundreds of people. He also spoke out strongly against slavery. Slavery, he said, is bad for the country. "Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant. They bring the judgment of heaven on a country."

Oliver Ellsworth was from Connecticut. He said that the Maryland and Virginia representatives were "hypocrites" who got an advantage from opposing the slave trade. He suggested that ending the slave trade would increase the price of the people they enslaved. And then, enslavers in Maryland and Virginia would profit by selling enslaved people to states farther South.

Political Compromise For States
A compromise ultimately settled the battle. Northern delegates agreed that there would be no restrictions on the slave trade for 20 years. In exchange, Southern delegates offered something that would help the North. The government could require that goods be carried on American ships. Shipbuilding was an important business in the North. The same day, the convention also adopted the fugitive slave clause. It said that enslaved people who escaped had to be returned to their enslavers.

William Lloyd Garrison fought against slavery. He called the Constitution a proslavery document. In 1854, he burned the Constitution and called it "an agreement with Hell." People argue over the question today. The Constitution temporarily strengthened slavery. However, it also created a central government powerful enough to eventually outlaw slavery.

Read the paragraph from the article.

The framers of the Constitution wanted a strong central government. They believed that they would get the support of Southern delegates if they gave in on slavery. If they did not, South Carolina and Georgia would refuse to join the Union. By avoiding the slavery issue, the framers created future conflict. After the convention, James Madison wrote that the largest difference is between North and South. Slavery forms "the line of discrimination," he said.

How does this paragraph support the main idea of the article?

A
by describing the differences between Northern and Southern states

B
by explaining the foundation of the compromise between North and South

C
by providing the reasons that the framers supported slavery

D
by showing that the compromise would lead to the Civil War

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

A) by describing the differences between Northern and Southern states

This paragraph supports the main idea of the article by highlighting the division between Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery, which ultimately led to future conflict. It demonstrates how the framers of the Constitution compromised on the issue of slavery in order to create a strong central government and secure the support of Southern delegates. This division between North and South, particularly on the issue of slavery, is a central theme throughout the article.

Answer 2

Read the following statements.

1. James Madison explained that the U.S. would be divided as a result of the compromise.

2. The Three-Fifths Compromise gave more power to Southern states.

3. The Constitution was not true to American values because it allowed slavery.

4. The framers agreed to slavery in order to form a strong central government.

Which two statements are main ideas from the article?

A
1 and 2

B
1 and 4

C
2 and 3

D
3 and 4

Answer 3

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

B) 1 and 4

These two statements capture key main ideas from the article - the division resulting from the compromise on slavery and the compromise made in order to form a strong central government.

Answer 4

What effect did the Three-Fifths Compromise have on the U.S. government?

A
It brought an end to the Atlantic slave trade.

B
It gave more political power to Southern states.

C
It strengthened the individual state governments.

D
It helped President Jefferson control the power of Congress.

Answer 5

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

B) It gave more political power to Southern states.

The Three-Fifths Compromise increased the political power of Southern states in the U.S. government by counting enslaved individuals as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation in Congress.

Answer 6

What is the relationship between the slave trade and the Northern states?

A
Northern delegates allowed the slave trade in exchange for economic benefit.

B
Northern delegates outlawed the slave trade, hoping to supply slaves to Southern states.

C
Northern delegates lost political power when they compromised on the slave trade.

D
Northern delegates created anti-slavery societies as a result of the constitutional compromise.

Answer 7

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

A) Northern delegates allowed the slave trade in exchange for economic benefit.

The article mentions that Northern delegates agreed to allow the continuation of the Atlantic slave trade for 20 years in exchange for benefits related to American ships carrying goods. This shows a relationship between the slave trade and the economic interests of the Northern states.