Introduction

Democracies are particularly dependent on the mastery of the art of compromise, for such polities demand the participation of divergent social groups and the expression of a myriad of different interests, ideas and identities that must peacefully coexist. Most commentators on compromise recommend it as an instrument of political negotiation. Many are concerned with the ostensible fading of both the ability and the willingness to compromise in the public realm. Examples of a compromise that certainly should not be characterized as rational, let alone responsible, are not marginal phenomena. In fact they can be found in rather prominent positions. The notorious 'Three Fifths Compromise' is one of the 'bundle of compromises' that constitutes the American Constitution. This compromise, which might be described as an action that 'sanctioned slavery more decidedly than any previous action at a national level', was adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on 12 July 1787.