Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. I.djvu/216

176 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS pieces at the outset, and it was for this reason that the northern abolitionists, Gouverneur Morris and Rufus King, joined with Washington and Madi son and with the pro-slavery Pinckneys in subscrib ing to it. Some of the evils resulting from this compromise have led historians, writing from the abolitionist point of view, to condemn it utterly. Nothing can be clearer, however, than that, in order to secure the adoption of the constitution, it was absolutely necessary to satisfy South Carolina. This was proved by the course of events in 1788, when there was a strong party in Virginia in favor of a separate confederacy of southern states. By South Carolina s prompt ratification of the consti tution this scheme was completely defeated, and a most formidable obstacle to the formation of a more perfect union was removed. Of all the com promises in American history, this of the so-called "three-fifths rule" was probably the most impor tant: until the beginning of the civil war there was hardly a political movement of any consequence not affected by it. Mr. Madison s services in connection with the founding of our Federal government were thus, up to this point, of the most transcendent kind. We have seen that he played a leading part in the difficult work of getting a convention to assemble; the merit of this he shares with other eminent men, and notably with Washington and Hamilton. ,