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If we were to look back at the Slave Trade Compromise through the eyes of today (2021), what are your thoughts? Are there still lingering issues in our society from this compromise?

User Verhaeren
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Final answer:

The Slave Trade Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise were controversial arrangements that perpetuated slavery and increased Southern political power by counting slaves as three-fifths of persons for taxation and representation, with effects that are still evident in current societal issues and discussions about reparations.

Step-by-step explanation:

When reflecting back on the Slave Trade Compromise with today's understanding (2021), it is clear that this agreement was controversial and had profound long-term implications. The compromise itself, particularly the Three-Fifths Compromise, allowed a slave to be counted as three-fifths of a person, affecting both representation and taxation.

This compromise appeased Southern interests by bolstering their political power in Congress without granting enslaved people any rights, while the issue of the slave trade itself was settled by allowing it to continue until 1808 to placate the Southern states that depended on it economically.

The impact of these compromises is still felt today through systemic racial inequalities and ongoing discussions about reparations for the descendants of enslaved people. The controversies surrounding the Three-Fifths Compromise and the delayed cessation of the trans-Atlantic slave trade highlight the deep moral and ethical conflicts of the time that have left a lingering effect on American society.

Indeed, the legacy of the compromise can be seen in present immigration debates and the historical echoes in the opposition to immigration align with past prejudices.

User Onurgule
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