Compromise attempts before the war and slave states becoming a minority

Mosby

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Joined
Jan 20, 2017
The Corwin Amendment would have prevented a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery. At that time, there were 18 free states and 15 slave states. 3/4 of states are needed to amend the Constitution. So the only way a Constitutional Amendment to abolish slavery would get through would be if a large number of free states were admitted and maybe Delaware or other border states abolished slavery.

It seems like it was assumed that there would be no new slave states and the slave states would become a minority. Other compromise proposals went further than the Corwin Amendment, but they were mostly stronger Constitutional Amendments protecting slavery. Perhaps it wasn't just Lincoln being elected, but knowing the slave states would be a permanent minority and slavery might be under attack that caused secession and war.
 
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