Nation on the brink of war

Leaving aside the moral objections which many of them sincerely held, the constitution granted an unwarranted political power to slave states. One of the constitutional compromises was known as the three fifths compromise. Three fifths (60%) of the slave population of a state was counted for purposes of assigning congressional seats to the slave states. This meant, effectively, that far fewer registered voters (adult, white males only) elected Representatives.