The Three-Fifths Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement made during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in the United States. It determined how enslaved individuals would be counted for the purpose of taxation and representation.
At the time, there was a disagreement between the northern and southern states over how enslaved individuals should be counted for these purposes. The southern states wanted to count all enslaved individuals to increase their representation in the House of Representatives, which would also give them more power in the Electoral College and the selection of the president. However, the northern states argued that enslaved individuals should not be counted at all, as they were not granted the rights and freedoms of citizens.
After much debate, the compromise was proposed by James Wilson and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. It stated that for the purposes of taxation and representation, enslaved individuals would be counted as three-fifths of a person. This compromise satisfied the southern states, as it granted them a larger representation in the House of Representatives, but it also recognized the disapproval of counting enslaved individuals as full citizens.
The Three-Fifths Compromise had significant consequences for the United States. It perpetuated the institution of slavery and gave more political power to the southern states, which would later contribute to the sectional tensions that led to the American Civil War. It also highlighted the controversial and complex nature of slavery in the early United States, reflecting the deeper political and moral disagreements between the northern and southern states. The compromise remained in effect until the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1868, which granted full citizenship rights and representation to formerly enslaved individuals.