The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a contentious agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention that addressed the issue of how enslaved people would be counted for taxation and representation purposes. Southern states, which had large populations of enslaved individuals, sought to count them fully to increase their representation in Congress, while Northern states opposed this, arguing that enslaved individuals were not citizens and should not be counted at all.

Ultimately, the compromise determined that each enslaved person would be counted as three-fifths of a person. This decision had profound implications for political power and representation, entrenching the institution of slavery within the fabric of the new nation’s governance.