What was the three-Fifths compromise
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The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise reached during the drafting of the United States Constitution in 1787. It resolved the issue of how enslaved individuals were to be counted in determining a state's total population for the purpose of congressional representation and taxation.
To understand the Three-Fifths Compromise, it's important to know that during this time, Southern states had large populations of enslaved individuals, while Northern states had fewer. The Southern states wanted to include enslaved individuals in their population count to have more seats in the House of Representatives. However, the Northern states argued that enslaved individuals, who were not considered citizens and had no voting rights, should not be counted at all.
To reach a consensus, the delegates agreed on the Three-Fifths Compromise. It stated that for the purpose of determining representation in Congress and direct taxation, enslaved individuals would be counted as three-fifths of a person. Essentially, every five enslaved individuals would be counted as three persons. This compromise gave the Southern states more political power in the House of Representatives than if enslaved individuals were not counted at all, but less than if they had been counted as whole persons.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was highly controversial and heavily criticized by abolitionists, who argued that it dehumanized enslaved individuals by treating them as property while giving political advantage to the Southern states. This compromise was eventually superseded by the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865, which abolished slavery in the United States.