Why did Northern states fight against having enslaved people counted as full citizens?(1 point)
The South would benefit greatly from having a high population for high political power in the House of Representatives.
Northern states knew that they would politically benefit if their population was lower than Southern states.
Northern states fought to have enslaved people counted as full citizens.
Northern states viewed enslaved people as property, thus they believed that enslaved people should not be counted as full citizens.
Northern states fought against having enslaved people counted as full citizens primarily because they viewed enslaved people as property and did not believe they should be entitled to the same rights and privileges as free citizens. Additionally, the Northern states knew that if enslaved people were counted as full citizens, the Southern states would benefit greatly from a higher population, which would result in increased political power for the South in terms of representation in the House of Representatives. The Northern states wanted to ensure that their population was not artificially inflated by counting enslaved people as full citizens, as they believed this would result in an imbalance of political power favoring the South.
The correct answer is "Northern states viewed enslaved people as property, thus they believed that enslaved people should not be counted as full citizens."
To arrive at this answer, we need to analyze the context of the time period and understand the motivations of the Northern states.
During the time of the American Revolution and the drafting of the United States Constitution, slavery was a controversial issue. The Southern states benefited economically from the institution of slavery, as enslaved people provided labor for their agricultural plantations. However, the Northern states had a different perspective on the matter.
The Northern states, such as Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York, were more industrialized and did not rely heavily on slavery for their economies. Many Northern states had already taken steps towards abolishing slavery or had less dependence on enslaved workers. As a result, they did not view enslaved people as full citizens, but rather as property.
Furthermore, counting enslaved people as full citizens for the purpose of determining representation in the House of Representatives would have greatly increased the political power of the Southern states, as they had a larger enslaved population. The Northern states, in order to protect their own interests and ensure a fair and balanced representation, fought against the idea of counting enslaved people as full citizens.
In conclusion, the Northern states opposed counting enslaved people as full citizens primarily because they viewed enslaved people as property and sought to protect their own political interests.