Answer:
The amendment to abolish slavery was not ratified for a long time because, in order to amend the Constitution, three-fourths of the states had to approve the amendment, and only fifty percent approved the amendment.
Explanation:
- The states that roughly made up the northern half of the United States were mainly against the practice of slavery and wanted it to be abolished for once and forever.
- On the other hand, the economy of the states in the southern United States depended on the production of cotton which was mainly carried out through slaves.
- Hence, the states in the south continuously opposed the abolition of slavery and that alone became the reason to not secure the support of three-fourths of the states.