Critique the following constitutional provision protecting the property of slave owners. What would be an advantage of this policy?
“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.”
A. The national government assesses taxation on an equal basis, regardless of state population size.
B. Identifying enslaved people as property ensures that Southern slave states remain part of the Union.
C. States retain the power to decide what taxes will be paid to the federal government, thus increasing state autonomy.
D. Taxes are divided on an equal basis regardless of race, ensuring taxation is fair.
The answer is B. Identifying enslaved people as property ensures that Southern slave states remain part of the Union.
This provision would have been advantageous for the Southern slave states as it protected their economic and social system based on slavery. By counting enslaved people, who were considered property in the Southern states, as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of taxation and representation, this provision gave the Southern states more political power in Congress and ensured that they would not be at a disadvantage in terms of representation. This helped to maintain the balance between the slave and non-slave states, which played a crucial role in keeping the Union intact.
The critique of this constitutional provision is that it perpetuates the institution of slavery and treats enslaved individuals as property rather than recognizing their fundamental human rights. By counting enslaved individuals as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of apportioning representatives and direct taxes, it implicitly supports and institutionalizes the ownership and dehumanization of individuals.
The advantage of this policy, as reflected in answer choice B, is that it helps maintain unity among the states, particularly the Southern slave states. By recognizing slaves as property and providing them with only three-fifths representation, this provision gives Southern states with large populations of enslaved people a greater number of representatives in the House of Representatives and, therefore, more influence in the political process. This compromise was essential in garnering support for the Constitution and preventing the fracturing of the Union.
The provision mentioned is known as the Three-Fifths Compromise, which was included in the United States Constitution in 1787. It has been widely criticized for treating enslaved African Americans as property and diminishing their humanity. However, for the purposes of answering your question, let's explore the possible advantages of this policy.
B. Identifying enslaved people as property ensures that Southern slave states remain part of the Union.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was primarily a political compromise aimed at maintaining the unity of the newly formed United States, particularly between the Southern slave states and the Northern non-slave states. By including enslaved people as part of the population count, albeit as three-fifths of a person, the Southern states were able to increase their representation in Congress and the Electoral College. This boosted their influence within the federal government and helped prevent them from seceding or leaving the Union.
It is important to note, though, that this advantage was only applicable to the slaveholding states and did not benefit the enslaved individuals themselves. The compromise perpetuated the systemic oppression and dehumanization of enslaved African Americans.