Question

THE THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE

“Representatives and direct
Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this
Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the
whole Number of free Persons,
including those bound to
Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.”

Who is included in a state’s “respective numbers”?

Answer 1

The "respective numbers" refer to the total population of a state, including both free persons and those who are bound to service for a term of years, but excluding Indians not taxed. The Three-Fifths Compromise added three-fifths of all other persons, meaning enslaved individuals, to the state's total population count for the purpose of apportioning representatives and direct taxes.