Why were the southern delegates to the Constitutional Convention willing to accept the 3/5ths Compromise?
a. It increased the political influence of the South
b. It allowed the south to expand its industrial output
c. It allowed indentured servants in the South to become citizens
d. It decreased the federal tax on property in the South
I think it's d
No.
What does your reading assignment say?
I wasn't given a reading assignment.
Where does your teacher expect you to learn this answer?
I'm not sure. The question is on a homework assignment. It's a really hard course
To determine why the southern delegates were willing to accept the 3/5ths Compromise, let's analyze each option:
a. It increased the political influence of the South: This option suggests that accepting the 3/5ths Compromise would have increased the political influence of the South. This is true because the compromise counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation in Congress. By counting slaves, who were predominantly found in the South, this compromise would have given the Southern states more representatives in Congress, thus increasing their political power. However, this option is not the main reason for accepting the compromise.
b. It allowed the South to expand its industrial output: This option suggests that accepting the 3/5ths Compromise somehow enabled the South to increase its industrial output. However, the 3/5ths Compromise primarily dealt with the issue of representation, not industrial output. Therefore, this option is not relevant to the question.
c. It allowed indentured servants in the South to become citizens: This option is incorrect. The 3/5ths Compromise was specifically related to the counting of slaves for the purpose of representation and taxation. It did not address the citizenship status of indentured servants or have any implications on their status.
d. It decreased the federal tax on property in the South: This option suggests that accepting the 3/5ths Compromise would have decreased the federal tax on property in the South. However, this is incorrect. The 3/5ths Compromise did not have a direct effect on the federal tax on property. Its primary purpose was to address the issue of representation by counting slaves as three-fifths of a person. As a result, this option is also not relevant to the question.
The correct answer is:
a. It increased the political influence of the South: The main reason why the southern delegates were willing to accept the 3/5ths Compromise was that it increased the political influence of the South. By counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes, the Southern states were able to secure more representatives in Congress, giving them greater political power. This was crucial for the Southern states to protect their economic interests, in particular, the institution of slavery.