Answer:
In the national popular vote, <u>Gore</u> received <u><em>48.4 percent</em></u> while <u>Bush</u> received <u><em>47.9</em></u>, <em>losing by over 540,000 votes</em>. U.S. presidents, however, are chosen by the Electoral College, a system in which “electoral votes” are assigned to states based on their population and then awarded as a lump sum to the winner of the popular vote in that state – currently, it takes 270 electoral votes to win. By the end of Election Night, 2000, <em><u>Gore’s tally stood at 250 and Bush’s stood at 246 with Oregon</u></em>, Wisconsin and Florida too close to call.
The fugitive slave act of 1793 authorized local governments to recapture escaped slaves and imposed laws restricting the aiding of runaway slaves. This act was provised in 1850 “compromise of 1850” forcing locals to aid in the capturing of slaves and denied the right of slaves to have a trial by jury. The aiding of escaped slaves was also punished more than in the first act
Each was a natural trading partner.
Taking a side in that conflict would have had bad consequences for the U.S., the proverbial no-win situation.
