The primary purpose of the Three-Fifths Compromise, which was reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, was to determine how enslaved individuals would be counted when determining the population of a state for the purpose of determining representation in the House of Representatives. Under the compromise, enslaved individuals were counted as three-fifths of a person for this purpose, giving slave-holding states more representation in Congress despite the fact that enslaved individuals were not allowed to vote or participate in the democratic process.
