THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY

The issue of slavery was discussed several times during the deliberations of the Convention. It was decided that the new national government could not regulate slavery for 20 years. Much debate took place over how slaves should be counted when determining representation for states in the House of Representatives; slave states wanted to count the slaves in their total populations. This issue was resolved by the Three-Fifths Compromise, which stated that three-fifths of a state’s slave population would be counted when determining representation in the House of Representatives. Southern states applauded the section of the Constitution promising national aid to any state threatened with “domestic violence”; Southern politicians assumed that this meant that federal troops would be utilized to help dispel any future slave revolts.