It Is Accepted Among Historians and Political Scientists That Sectional

Essay

It is accepted among historians and political scientists that sectional and economic differences, especially ones involving slavery, shaped debate among delegates to the Constitutional Constitution.Madison, in his convention notes, suggested that it even shaped his idea of the indirect selection of the president through the Electoral College, rather than direct election, despite the fact that he thought that latter would clearly be the best means of selecting the executive.More people could vote in the nonslave states of the North, he noted, something that he thought would lead the southern states to reject a direct election.
Given that slavery was outlawed by the Thirteenth Amendment, would it be useful to reconsider the Electoral College and other aspects of the Constitution, or even its basic framework, in light of how sectional differences shaped its ratification?