The Three-Fifths Clause: Understanding The Us Constitution's Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise, also known as the Three-Fifths Clause, was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. This clause, which was ratified in 1787, stated that Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States...according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons...three-fifths of all other Persons [slaves]. This compromise addressed the contentious issue of whether slaves should be considered part of the population or property and had significant political and economic implications for the country.

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The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Southern states wanted each slave to count as a full person, whereas the Northern states did not want them to be counted at all. The compromise counted three-fifths of each state's slave population toward that state's total population for the purpose of apportioning the House of Representatives, effectively giving the Southern states more power in the House relative to the Northern states. This agreement came to be known as the Three-Fifths Compromise: "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."

There is a debate among historians, legal scholars, and political scientists over whether the Three-Fifths Compromise should be interpreted as supporting the notion that slaves were considered three-fifths of a person ontologically, or whether the three-fifths was purely a statistical designation used to determine representation in Congress. Supporters of the statistical interpretation argue that Congress did not have ontological considerations in mind at the time, and that the Three-Fifths Compromise was solely a practical measure to determine representation and taxation.

The 1787 Constitutional Convention

The convention was held in the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. Delegates from 12 states participated, with Rhode Island being the only state that refused to send representatives. George Washington of Virginia, a proponent of a stronger national government, was elected as the president of the convention.

The convention was marked by contentious debates on several issues, including the role of the central government, the number of representatives in Congress, and the method of electing these representatives. Another significant issue was slavery, with delegates discussing the inclusion of a fugitive slave clause, the potential abolition of the slave trade, and the representation of slaves in proportional representation.

The Three-Fifths Compromise, part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, was a significant outcome of the convention. This compromise stated that "all other persons" (referring to slaves) would be counted as three-fifths of their actual numbers for the purposes of representation in Congress and taxation. This reduced the representation and taxation burden of the slave states while still improving their position over the Northern states' proposal of not counting slaves at all.

The convention resulted in the creation of a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to foreign relations. The final version of the Constitution was voted on, signed by 39 of 55 delegates, and ratified in 1789, becoming the foundation of the United States Government.

The Southern states' position

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a contentious issue at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, with the Southern states wanting to count the entire slave population as part of their total population. This would increase their number of members of Congress and give them more power in the House of Representatives relative to the Northern states. The Southern states' position was that slaves counted just as much as voters, despite questions from Northerners about why slaves should be held in the first place.

The Southern states' argument was that slaves were property and, as such, should be considered in determining representation in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College. They believed that the number of Representatives a state could elect and send to Congress should be based on the state's total population, including slaves. The Southern bloc, made up of Southern Democrats, constituted a powerful voting bloc in Congress until the 1960s. Their representatives, repeatedly re-elected by one-party states, controlled numerous chairmanships of important committees in both houses, giving them control over rules, budgets, and other issues.

The compromise that was finally agreed upon counted "all other persons" as only three-fifths of their actual numbers, reducing the representation of the slave states relative to the original proposals but improving it over the Northern position. This compromise was tied to taxation in the same ratio, reducing the burden of taxation on the slave states.

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The Northern states' position

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 Southern states wanted to count the entire slave population, which would increase their number of members of Congress. The Northern states, on the other hand, did not want slaves to be counted at all. They wanted to count only free persons, including free blacks in the North and South.

The Northern position was based on the belief that slaves were not property but human beings. By counting only free persons, the North hoped to reduce the political power of the slave-holding Southern states. The North also wanted to change the basis for determining the wealth of each state from real estate to population, as a measure of ability to produce wealth. This would mean that taxes would be based on the number of inhabitants of every age, sex, and quality, except for Indians not paying taxes.

The North argued that counting the whole number of slaves benefited the South and reinforced the institution of slavery. They believed that minimizing the percentage of the slave population counted for apportionment was necessary to reduce the political power of the Southern states. The North also wanted to preserve the union and confront the moral and systemic evils of slavery.

The Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted three-fifths of each state's slave population toward that state's total population, was a compromise that reduced the representation of the slave states relative to the original proposals but improved it over the Northern position. This compromise was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution.

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments

The Thirteenth Amendment, proposed in 1864 and ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crimes. It states that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

The Fourteenth Amendment, proposed in 1866 and ratified in 1868, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law. It was proposed in response to issues related to the treatment of freed slaves following the Civil War. The amendment is one of the most litigated parts of the Constitution, forming the basis for landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Roe v. Wade (1973) on abortion.

The Fifteenth Amendment, proposed in 1869 and ratified in 1870, prohibits discrimination in voting rights based on race, color, or previous conditions of servitude. It states that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

The Nineteenth Amendment, proposed in 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920, guarantees women's suffrage, stating that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."

The Three-Fifths Compromise, on the other hand, was part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution. It stated that for the purpose of taxation and representation in the House of Representatives, slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person. This compromise was superseded and explicitly repealed by the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.

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