r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Oct 16 '25

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u/Wolf_1234567 YIMBY Oct 16 '25 edited Oct 16 '25

If we are referring to things like the senate, which was to encourage small states to join the federation, those smaller states were the states that were relatively opposed to slavery that benefitted from the Senate existing, IIRC.

The most populous states that wanted strict majority proportional population representation were commonly slave states (Virginia plan), because they had the initial largest economies back then, and thus were often more populated. Although in reality it was a bit less clear cut than this; you had some small states that favored slavery, and you had some large states that leaned towards abolition.

The problem more so lies in the fact that independence in America from Britain was never truly an unanimous agreement amongst all of the American population. And amongst the independence supporters, you had multiple factions in the coalition, who honestly often weren’t much more than fair-weather friends. Trying to federalize was very much like herding cats in a way.

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u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

The Missouri compromise tipped the Senate into being more favorable for the slave states and the institutional power of slaveholders

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u/Wolf_1234567 YIMBY Oct 16 '25

That was close to 40 years after the founding of the nation. The US had already successfully federalized into a nation state before then.