Isabella Carter
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention, which addressed the inclusion of slaves in a state's total population. This count would determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes each state would be allocated, and how much money the states would pay in taxes. The Three-Fifths Compromise, also known as the Three-Fifths Clause, is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Part of the US Constitution | Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 |
| Year | 1787 |
| Proposal | By delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney |
| Purpose | To resolve disagreements over slavery and to preserve the unity of the new United States |
| Compromise | Representatives and direct taxes would be apportioned among states according to their respective numbers, including free persons and three-fifths of enslaved persons |
| Impact | Overrepresentation of slaveholding states in national politics, increased direct federal tax burden for slaveholding states, and the inclusion of a provision for the recapture of fugitive slaves |
| Amendment | Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) superseded Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 and repealed the compromise |
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What You'll Learn
- The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement between the Northern and Southern states
- It was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney
- It was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution
- It was an attempt to preserve the union and confront the evils of slavery
- It was superseded by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement between the Northern and Southern states
The Southern states, with large slave populations, wanted to count the entire slave population. In contrast, the Northern states, which generally had smaller populations, sought to exclude the slave population from the count as they had no voting rights. The delegates from the North failed to secure the abolishment of slavery, so they wanted representation to be based on the size of a state's free population.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney of South Carolina. The compromise stated that three-fifths of each state's slave population would be counted toward the state's total population for the purpose of apportioning the House of Representatives. This gave the Southern states more power in the House relative to the Northern states.
The agreement was an attempt to preserve the unity of the newly formed United States while confronting the evils of slavery. It also gave slaveholders enlarged powers in Southern legislatures. The Three-Fifths Compromise was later superseded and explicitly repealed by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.
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It was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. It was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney of South Carolina.
The compromise was an agreement between the delegates from the Northern and Southern states. It pertained to the inclusion of slaves in a state's total population. This count would determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes each state would be allocated, and how much money the states would pay in taxes.
The Southern states wanted to count the entire slave population, while the delegates from the Northern states sought to make representation dependent on the size of a state's free population. The deadlock was broken by the Connecticut, or Great, Compromise, which established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation of the states in the upper house.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution. It stated that "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."
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an imperfect solution that allowed for the preservation of the republic while confronting the evils of slavery. It was later superseded by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, which explicitly repealed the compromise.
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It was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. It was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney. The compromise pertained to the inclusion of slaves in a state's total population. This count would determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes each state would be allocated, and how much money the states would pay in taxes.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an attempt to resolve disagreements over slavery at the Constitutional Convention. The Southern states wanted to count the entire slave population, while the Northern states did not. As a compromise, it was agreed that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives. This agreement was later superseded and explicitly repealed by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was indeed part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution. This clause is often criticised as only recognising Black people as three-fifths of a person. However, it is important to note that the Constitution nowhere forbids a Black man from voting. The Compromise was a reflection of the complexities of the time, as the framers of the Constitution aimed to preserve the unity of the new United States while also confronting the evils of slavery.
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It was an attempt to preserve the union and confront the evils of slavery
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between delegates from the Northern and Southern states at the United States Constitutional Convention in 1787. The Southern delegates threatened to abandon the convention if enslaved individuals were not counted. The compromise called for representation in the House of Representatives to be apportioned based on a state's free population plus three-fifths of its enslaved population. This agreement was an attempt to preserve the union of the nascent United States and confront the evils of slavery.
The Three-Fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which states that representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the states according to their respective numbers. The clause includes three-fifths of all other persons, such as those bound to service for a term of years, excluding untaxed Indians. The compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an attempt to balance the interests of the large and small states during the creation of a new scheme of government. The Virginia, or large state, plan provided for a bicameral legislature with representation based on population or wealth. Meanwhile, the New Jersey, or small state, plan proposed equal representation for each state in Congress. The deadlock was resolved by the Connecticut, or Great, Compromise, which established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation of the states in the upper house.
The Three-Fifths Compromise had significant implications for representation and taxation. It resulted in the perpetual overrepresentation of slaveholding states in national politics. However, the same three-fifths ratio was used to determine federal tax contributions, increasing the direct tax burden on these states. The compromise also included a provision for a law permitting the recapture of fugitive slaves and a moratorium on any congressional ban against the importation of slaves until 1808.
Despite the compromise's attempt to address slavery, it was imperfect and faced criticism for its moral and systemic shortcomings. The interpretation of the Three-Fifths Compromise as representing slaves as "three-fifths of a person" has been challenged, with some arguing that it was a pragmatic approach that reduced the political power of slaveholding states. The compromise was later superseded and explicitly repealed by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.
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It was superseded by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868
The Three-Fifths Compromise was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution. It was a compromise between delegates from the Northern and Southern states, who were divided on the issue of legislative representation. The Southern delegates threatened to abandon the convention if enslaved individuals were not counted. The compromise called for representation in the House of Representatives to be apportioned based on a state's free population plus three-fifths of its enslaved population. This compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney.
However, this compromise was superseded by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. It extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. It granted citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby granting citizenship to those who were previously enslaved. It also stated that "nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This amendment explicitly repealed the Three-Fifths Compromise and replaced it with wording that counted the whole number of persons in each state, excluding untaxed Indigenous people.
The Fourteenth Amendment addresses many aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. The phrase "equal protection of the laws" has been commonly used and litigated in landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education (racial discrimination), Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights), and Bush v. Gore (election recounts). The amendment also includes provisions regarding the disqualification of individuals from holding office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States.
The Three-Fifths Compromise has been interpreted by some as a racist contract, with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stating that under the original US Constitution, she was considered only three-fifths of a person. However, others argue that this interpretation is erroneous and distorted, and that the compromise was necessary to preserve the union and confront the evils of slavery.
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Frequently asked questions
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention over the inclusion of slaves in a state's total population.
The Three-Fifths Compromise decided that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted when determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives. This would also determine the number of electoral votes each state would be allocated and how much money the states would pay in taxes.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an imperfect compromise that allowed for the preservation of the republic while also confronting the moral and systemic evils of slavery. It has been used to defame the Constitution, with critics stating that the U.S. Constitution only recognised blacks as three-fifths of a person.
The Three-Fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. It was superseded by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) which explicitly repealed the compromise.
