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 The national government assesses taxation on an equal basis, regardless of state population size. The national government assesses taxation on an equal basis, regardless of state population size. Taxes are divided on an equal basis regardless of race, ensuring taxation is fair. 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. 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.

Answer 1

This provision protecting the property of slave owners is deeply problematic as it implicitly legitimizes the ownership of enslaved individuals as property. This not only perpetuates the institution of slavery but also reinforces the dehumanization of enslaved people as mere property to be counted for the purpose of taxation.

One potential advantage of this policy, however, is that it may have helped to maintain unity within the Union by placating Southern slave states. By counting enslaved individuals as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of representation and taxation, it gave Southern states more power in the federal government than they would have had if enslaved individuals were not counted at all. This compromise likely helped to prevent the secession of Southern states and maintain the fragile balance between free and slave states within the Union.

Overall, while this provision may have had the unintended consequence of keeping the Union together, it ultimately served to perpetuate the injustice and violence of slavery in the United States.