How does this sentence from paragraph 5 contribute with to the central idea of the text: "the debate was especially ironic because defenders of slavery replied on a central principle of fairness."

basic principles: federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review, representative democracy, limited government, rule of law, individual rights and responsibilities, consent of the governed, majority rule, popular sovereignty, equal protection.

watch for bias in the news you are consuming

be aware who the author is and what their background is

gather news from your preferred source

the answer is d i think

is this a math quesion or history question