Question

Summarize the Three Fifths Compromise briefly. This can be bullet points. Your answer should include what all the sides of the argument were as well as the conclusion that was reached. (3 points)

Answer 1

- Context and sides (1787 Constitutional Convention): Southern delegates wanted enslaved people counted in state population totals to increase Southern representation in the House of Representatives (but generally not counted for taxation). Northern delegates opposed counting slaves for representation (arguing they were not citizens) and some wanted them counted for taxation purposes.
- The core dispute: whether—and how much—enslaved people should be included when apportioning seats in Congress and distributing direct taxes between states.
- Conclusion (the Three-Fifths Compromise): delegates agreed to count each enslaved person as three-fifths of a free person for purposes of both representation and direct taxation, increasing Southern congressional power relative to counting only free persons but less than if slaves were fully counted.