Question

Compare South Carolina’s decision to ratify the Constitution to the other states’ decisions. What were two of the deciding factors for the people of South Carolina?
A. South Carolina favored ratifying because the new constitution posed no threat to slavery and offered relief from foreign commerce.
B. South Carolina favored ratifying because the new constitution posed no threat to slavery and offered regulation of foreign commerce.
C. South Carolina favored ratifying because the new constitution ended slavery and offered regulation of foreign commerce.
D. South Carolina favored ratifying because the new constitution guaranteed favoritism for the state if they voted yes.

Answer 1

B.

South Carolinians supported ratification because the Constitution contained protections for slavery (e.g., the Three‑Fifths Clause, the fugitive‑slave provision, and the ban on banning the slave trade before 1808) and because it gave the national government power to regulate commerce (including foreign trade), which benefited the state's export‑dependent economy.