“. . . In being compelled to labor, not for himself, but for a master; in being vendible by one master to another master; and in being subject at all times to be restrained in his liberty and chastised in his body, by the capricious will of another, the slave may appear to be degraded from the human rank, and classed with those irrational animals which fall under the legal denomination of property. In being protected, on the other hand, in his life and in his limbs, against the violence of all others, even the master of his labor and his liberty; and in being punishable himself for all violence committed against others, the slave is no less evidently regarded by the law as a member of the society. . . .”—The Federalist PapersWhat compromise addressed the debate over the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in this Federalist Papers quote?(1 point)

Answer 1

The Federalist Papers quote you provided addresses the complex legal and social status of slaves in the context of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The compromise that is relevant to this debate is the Three-Fifths Compromise. This compromise was reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and determined how slaves would be counted for purposes of representation and taxation. Specifically, it stipulated that each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person when determining a state's population for representation in Congress.

This compromise highlighted the tension between the recognition of slaves as property and their acknowledgment as members of society with certain legal protections, as described in the quote. It served as a way to appease both Northern and Southern states during the ratification process while addressing the contentious issue of slavery.