the slaves were human beings,eventually came to accept the three-fifths compromise, by which five slaves counted as three free men toward that representation.by the end of the convention,the institution of slavery itself,though never specifically mentioned,was well protected within the body of the Constitution. At the Constitutional Convention there were arguments over slavery.Representatives of the Northern states claimed that if the Southern slaves were mere property,the they should not be counted toward voting representation in Congress.Southerners, placed in the difficult position of trying to argue,at least in this case,that the slaves were human beings,eventually came to accept the three-fifths compromise by which five slaves counted as three free men toward that representation.By the end of the convention,the institution of slavery itself,though never specifically mentioned,was well protected within the body of the Constitution. In 1808,Northern and Southern members of Congress voted together to abolish the importation of slaves from overseas,but the domestic slave trade continued to flourish.The invention of the cotton gin made the cultivation of cotton on large plantations using slave labor a profitable enterprise in the deep South.The slave became an ever more important element of the southern economy,and so the debat about slavery,for the southerners,gradually evolved into an economically based question of money and power,and ceased to be a theoretical or ideological issue at all.It became an institution that southerners felt bound to protect. In 1808,Northern and Southern members of Congress voted together to abolish the importation of slaves from overseas,but the domestic slave trade continued to flourish.The invention of the cotton gin made the cultivation of cotton on large plantations using slave labor a profitable enterprise in the deep South.The slav became an ever more important element of the southern economy,and so the debate about slavery,for the southerners,gradually evolved into an economically based question of money and power,and ceased to be a theoretical or ideological issue at all.It became an institution that southerners felt bound to protect. But even as the need to protect it grew,the ability,or at least the perceivedthe slaves were human beings, eventually came to accept the three-fifths compromise, by which five slaves counted as three free men toward that representation. By the end of the convention, the institution of slavery itself, though never specifically mentioned, was well protected within the body of the Constitution. At the Constitutional Convention there were arguments over slavery. Representatives of the Northern states claimed that if the Southern slaves were mere property, then they should not be counted toward voting representation in Congress. Southerners, placed in the difficult position of trying to argue, at least in this case, that the slaves were human beings, eventually came to accept the three-fifths compromise, by which five slaves counted as three free men toward that representation. By the end of the convention, the institution of slavery itself, though never specifically mentioned, was well protected within the body of the Constitution. In 1808, Northern and Southern members of Congress voted together to abolish the importation of slaves from overseas, but the domestic slave trade continued to flourish. The invention of the cotton gin made the cultivation of cotton on large plantations using slave labor a profitable enterprise in the deep South. The slave became an ever more important element of the southern economy, and so the debate about slavery, for the southerners, gradually evolved into an economically based question of money and power, and ceased to be a theoretical or ideological issue at all. It became an institution that southerners felt bound to protect. In 1808, Northern and Southern members of Congress voted together to abolish the importation of slaves from overseas, but the domestic slave trade continued to flourish. The invention of the cotton gin made the cultivation of cotton on large plantations using slave labor a profitable enterprise in the deep South. The slave became an ever more important element of the southern economy, and so the debate about slavery, for the southerners, gradually evolved into an economically based question of money and power, and ceased to be a theoretical or ideological issue at all. It became an institution that southerners felt bound to protect. But even as the need to protect it grew, the ability, or at least the perceived