Three-fifths compromise
The Three-fifths Compromise was a pivotal agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, addressing the contentious issue of how enslaved individuals would be counted for purposes of taxation and representation in the United States Congress. Under this compromise, five enslaved people were counted as three individuals, a decision that reflected the deep divisions between Northern and Southern states. Northern delegates typically viewed enslaved individuals as property and argued against their representation, while Southern delegates insisted on counting them fully to enhance their political power.
The compromise emerged from earlier proposals aimed at evaluating population for tax purposes, with significant debate surrounding whether this counting should be conducted by Congress or through a decennial census. Ultimately, the compromise showcased the proslavery interests that would shape early American politics, leading to a system where enslaved individuals contributed to the representation of Southern states without enjoying corresponding rights. This arrangement persisted until the Civil War, highlighting the complexities of race, representation, and governance in the formative years of the United States.
Three-fifths compromise
The Constitutional Convention in 1787 adopted the three-fifths compromise, whereby five slaves were counted as three people for purposes of taxation and representation. The idea originated as part of a 1783 congressional plan to base taxation on population. Congress rejected the three-fifths idea, but delegate James Wilson of Pennsylvania resurrected it as an amendment to the Virginia plan at the Constitutional Convention.
The Wilson amendment provoked heated debate over the counting of slaves. Most northern delegates regarded slaves as property and not deserving representation, while southern delegates insisted that blacks be counted equally with whites for purposes of representation. Northern delegates wanted slaves counted for taxation, while southern delegates disagreed.
Delegates also debated whether the Congress or a census every ten years should determine the apportionment of representatives in the national legislature. Several northern delegates wanted Congress to control apportionment because the West was developing rapidly. They considered the three-fifths idea pro-South and opposed its adoption. Southern delegates, meanwhile, threatened to reject the three-fifths idea if Congress controlled representation. Northern delegates eventually agreed to accept a census every ten years and count slaves as people rather than property, demonstrating the numerical strength of the proslavery interests. Until the Civil War, therefore, slaves were counted as three-fifths of nonslaves for purposes of taxation and representation.
Bibliography
Finkelman, Paul, and Donald R. Kennon. Congress and the Emergence of Sectionalism: From the Missouri Compromise to the Age of Jackson. Athens: Ohio UP, 2008. Print.
Jensen, Erik. M. "Three-Fifths Clause." Heritage Guide to the Constitution. Heritage Foundation, 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"Three Fifths Compromise." Annenberg Classroom. Leonore Annenberg Inst. for Civics, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"The Three-Fifth Compromise." Digital History. Digital History, 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"The 'Three-Fifths' Compromise." African American Registry. African American Registry, 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.