Compromise and American Government
Definition of Compromise
Compromise- Verb.  To end an argument by making an agreement in which everyone involved accepts less than what s/he wanted at first. 

Example Sentence: The President is not willing to compromise on the issue.

Main Concept:  When two people make a compromise they each give up some of what they want but not all of what they want. 

Example of a Real Life Compromise:  One example of a real life compromise is if two friends want to go to the movies, but one wants to see a comedy and the other wants to see a romance.  The two friends only have a few choices.  If they go to the movie they want to see the most, they won't be able to hang out together.  If one gives in, they won't be able to see anything they like and will be mad.  That would ruin the afternoon.  However, they can make a Compromise and go see a Romantic Comedy.  It won't be perfect for either of them, but it will have a little of what both want.
Compromise and American Government
Compromise is so important in American Government because we are a Democracy.  We make decisions by getting a majority (more than 50%) of the people to vote for one thing.  Since everyone has their own ideas about how things should be done, the only way to make decisions is to get most of the people to Compromise and choose something that doesn't match their own idea perfectly, but is close enough.
Compromise Links
Miracle at Philadelphia- An outline of the compromises made at the Philadelphia Convention when the Constitution was made.
The Great (Connecticut) Compromise- A web page on the Great Compromise over how states should be represented in Congress.
The 3/5 Compromise- A web page on the 3/5 Compromise over how much slaves should count as population.
Slavery Compromises- A web page covering the 3/5 and Commerce Compromises.
Executive Branch Compromises- A web page covering the compromises made over the powers of the President.
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