William Richardson Davie's Compromises

William Richardson Davie was one of the eight delegates present at the Constitutional Convention who were born outside of the colonies. Davie was born in 1756 in England to semi-affluent Presbyterian parents. After moving to South Carolina to be closer to his uncle, Davie studied at Queen’s Museum and then Liberty Hall. He also studied at Princeton University and the College of New Jersey in order to become a lawyer. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he joined the Patriot cause immediately and joined the fight for independance. Davie served under General Allen Jones until he was injured in 1779. It was during his time serving under General Jones that he met his wife, Sarah. Many thought the pairing was

strange because her uncle was a well known radical in North Carolina. He took a few months to rest and continue his law studies but ultimately returned to the war with a new cavalry. He rose to be a colonel quickly and earned the respect of many.
After the war he was finally able to begin his law career, with his most controversial case being when he defended 3 Tory officers and in the end won them full pardons from the governor.

Later he was elected to the House of Commons and associated himself with the conservative sect. He supported things such as complying with the Treaty of Paris. During the Constitutional Convention he remained in the background, but did play a very important role. He cast a tie breaking vote for the Great Compromise and also implied the threat that the South would not support the constitution unless it supported the Three-Fifths compromise. Although he constantly stated his support for the Three-Fifths Compromise he also implied that he would be willing to compromise with the North as long as they respected the basis of the Compromise. Although he did not sign the Constitution, His threats of a Southern walkout from the Convention and his unrelenting dedication to getting proper representation were some of the reasons that the Three-Fifths Compromise was

created.
After the Convention Davie continued his work in politics by fighting for the ratification of the Constitution and taking part in North Carolina's Convention. Shortly after the Convention he became the Governor of North Carolina. During his time as Governor he stay mostly behind the scenes and continued to argue for the right to own slaves and for many Southern Ideals. His main goal while serving in office was to create more public education. Arguably his most important contribution to history was when he founded The University of North Carolina. He was given the title of “Father of the University and awarded a Doctor of Law degree. He chose the curriculum and location for the school and was essential to keeping it open and running. The creation of the University did not come without its share of conflict. The Gernal Assembaly, suspecting Federalist activity, cut funding to the school. Outraged, Davie took it upon himself to win back the funding that had been cut, and managed to do so by winning a lawsuit overturning the legislation. His time was not only spent attending to the University but also on new political and military matters.
President John Adams appointed Davie to the delegation which was tasked with settling the Quasi-French War.

He spent monthes in Paris negotioating the Convention of 1800. After returning home he was tasked with negotiating yet again, but this time with the Tuscarora Indians in North Carolina.His negotiations ended with the settlement that the Tuscarora Indians would pay a tax to the government until July 12, 1916, the time that the Tuscarora would give their land to the state. While running for office again in 1803 Davie found that he was dissilluioned with politics and the public opinion.He lost the election and moved his plantation to South Carolina. In April 1802 his wife, Sarah, died. After Davie seemed to slip into a depression, aging faster than before and complaining of many ailments. He turned down offers by to serve in military and political decisions such as when James Madison offered him a commission as a major general in the War of 1812. He passed away in 1820 and was buried in the family

plot.
William Richardson Davie was an important player in history, although not regarded as one of the greats by many. He dedicated his life to fighting for what he thought was right morally and for his state. Davie was very devoted to the causes he voted on and advocated for them whole-heartedly. Without Davies commitment to the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Great Compromise history would not have come to the point it has reached.