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<blockquote data-quote="Next Day Err" data-source="post: 6004813" data-attributes="member: 107379">The Electoral College wasn’t designed solely to appease the slaveholding South, but slavery’s influence on its creation is undeniable. When the Founding Fathers debated the method for electing the president, they were faced with various tensions, including balancing power between large and small states, and between Northern and Southern interests. While the idea of a national popular vote was considered, it raised concerns about disproportionately favoring states with large populations. Given that the South’s economy and political power relied on slavery, Southern states had a vested interest in a system that would maintain their influence.The Three-Fifths Compromise already gave Southern states added representation by counting three-fifths of the enslaved population in determining seats in the House of Representatives. This calculation carried over to the Electoral College, which assigns electors based on the combined total of each state’s senators and representatives. Thus, the Electoral College system effectively enhanced Southern influence by allowing states with large enslaved populations to gain more electoral votes, despite those enslaved individuals having no political rights or voice.This structure helped ensure the South would not be outvoted by the more populous North and contributed to a balance that Southern delegates felt comfortable with. Some historians argue that the need to protect slavery was not the sole driver behind the Electoral College, but it was a significant factor in the final design. The system ultimately allowed the Southern states to wield outsized influence in early U.S. presidential elections, helping preserve their interests for decades.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Next Day Err, post: 6004813, member: 107379"] The Electoral College wasn’t designed solely to appease the slaveholding South, but slavery’s influence on its creation is undeniable. When the Founding Fathers debated the method for electing the president, they were faced with various tensions, including balancing power between large and small states, and between Northern and Southern interests. While the idea of a national popular vote was considered, it raised concerns about disproportionately favoring states with large populations. Given that the South’s economy and political power relied on slavery, Southern states had a vested interest in a system that would maintain their influence. The Three-Fifths Compromise already gave Southern states added representation by counting three-fifths of the enslaved population in determining seats in the House of Representatives. This calculation carried over to the Electoral College, which assigns electors based on the combined total of each state’s senators and representatives. Thus, the Electoral College system effectively enhanced Southern influence by allowing states with large enslaved populations to gain more electoral votes, despite those enslaved individuals having no political rights or voice. This structure helped ensure the South would not be outvoted by the more populous North and contributed to a balance that Southern delegates felt comfortable with. Some historians argue that the need to protect slavery was not the sole driver behind the Electoral College, but it was a significant factor in the final design. The system ultimately allowed the Southern states to wield outsized influence in early U.S. presidential elections, helping preserve their interests for decades. [/QUOTE]

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