Final answer:
The founding fathers and their wives grappled with the balance of political power, the status and rights of women, and the issue of slavery during the founding of the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
The founding fathers and their wives wrestled with numerous societal and political issues during the formation of the United States. Central to these debates was the balancing of power between state and federal governments, the role and rights of women, and the contentious subject of slavery. The founding fathers, influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke and Baron Montesquieu, envisioned a government without a monarchy, with shared power across different branches. However, many also held that only landowners should have the right to vote, revealing a distrust in full-scale democracy. Moreover, issues such as 'Republican motherhood' and coverture highlighted the limited but evolving status of women's rights in the post-revolutionary era. Despite the significant principle of natural rights promoted by the founders, the Constitution ended up protecting slavery through a series of compromises, which would lead to future conflicts.