One has to remember, that unlike Brazil and it's form of government, the United States was expanding and much of the tension stemmed from the addition of new states and their status as "slave" or "non-slave". The balance of power in the two houses of government, was always a point of contention and seemed to work to entrench political positions as well as sectional paranoia. It may have been almost impossible for slavery to die a "natural death" because so much personal wealth was tied up in the system of human bondage. Were Brazilian slaveholders compensated?