What Was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
The U.S. Constitution, like most government documents, was the result of a series of political compromises made to ensure passage. One of the most controversial was the so-called Three-Fifths Compromise regarding the issue of slavery.
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Features
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The Three-Fifths Compromise provide that only three-fifths of a state's slaves would be included in population counts for the purpose of direct taxes, political representation in Congress and presidential electoral votes.
History
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A Northern delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, James Wilson of Pennsylvania, proposed the compromise as a way to ensure Southern support for the new Constitution.
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Identification
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Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution contains the Three-Fifths Compromise.
Effects
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This compromise increased the political power of Southern slave-holding states by increasing their political representation. In 1790, Southern states accounted for 45 percent of the seats in Congress, up from 38 percent in the Continental Congress prior to the Constitution's ratification.
Significance
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The 14th Amendment to the Constitution abolished the Three-Fifths Compromise.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Phil
