Question

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.”
(1 point) Responses
Taxes are divided on an equal basis regardless of race, ensuring taxation is fair.
Identifying enslaved people as property ensures that Southern slave states remain part of the Union.
States retain the power to decide what taxes will be paid to the federal government, thus increasing state autonomy.
The national government assesses taxation on an equal basis, regardless of state population size.

Answer 1

The constitutional provision in question, known as the Three-Fifths Compromise, allowed states to count three-fifths of their enslaved population for the purposes of taxation and representation in Congress.

Critique:
This provision had the effect of entrenching the institution of slavery in the political framework of the United States by giving slave-holding states greater representation in Congress, which they used to protect and expand slavery. By counting enslaved individuals as property rather than as full people with rights, it dehumanized millions and solidified racial inequalities. Furthermore, it created a moral and ethical contradiction within a nation that espoused values of liberty and equality.

Advantage of the Policy:
"Identifying enslaved people as property ensures that Southern slave states remain part of the Union." This was an advantage for Southern states as it allowed them to maintain political influence and representation in Congress, which was essential for their interests in preserving the institution of slavery. By including enslaved people in the population count for representation, it provided Southern states a larger voice in the federal government, and consequently contributed to the prolongation of slavery in the United States.

Overall, while this provision may have offered political advantages to slave-holding states, it came at a significant moral cost and perpetuated systemic injustices.