Regional differences and the issue of slavery were significant factors that divided the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Convention was a meeting of delegates from the 13 states to discuss and propose amendments to the Articles of Confederation, the first national constitution of the United States. However, the Convention ended up producing a new Constitution that completely replaced the Articles of Confederation.
One of the main issues that divided the Convention was the representation of the states in the national government. The larger states, such as Virginia and Massachusetts, favored a system of representation based on population, while the smaller states, such as Delaware and New Jersey, favored equal representation for all states. This disagreement was eventually resolved through the Great Compromise, which established a bicameral Congress with a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation for all states.
Another major issue that divided the Convention was the issue of slavery. The Northern states, which had largely abolished slavery or were in the process of doing so, favored the abolition of slavery. The Southern states, which relied heavily on slavery as a labor source, opposed any efforts to restrict or abolish slavery. This disagreement was eventually resolved through the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of representation in the House of Representatives. The Convention also included the Fugitive Slave Clause, which required states to return escaped slaves to their owners.
These and other issues, including trade and taxation, divided the Constitutional Convention and led to a series of compromises that ultimately resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution.