Article 1. Section 2. The "Three-Fifths Clause""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 e…
Article 1. Section 2. The "Three-Fifths Clause""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." This is the transcript. "free persons" included free black people. Which there were free black people at the time of the enactment of the constitution.... and also black slave owners... I am sure you know this. "other persons" referred to enslaved persons. I do believe that it was a northern abolitionist who wanted enslaved people to equal 0. The reasoning was that counting enslaved people 1 to 1 for representation would mean those States with the greater slave population, and eventually fought to keep the institution of slavery alive, would have more representation in the congress and therefore have more power to make laws, including laws to codify slavery. So, the compromise was that for representative purposes enslaved people would count towards representation as 3 people for every 5.
Article 1. Section 2. The "Three-Fifths Clause""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." This is the transcript. "free persons" included free black people. Which there were free black people at the time of the enactment of the constitution.... and also black slave owners... I am sure you know this. "other persons" referred to enslaved persons. I do believe that it was a northern abolitionist who wanted enslaved people to equal 0. The reasoning was that counting enslaved people 1 to 1 for representation would mean those States with the greater slave population, and eventually fought to keep the institution of slavery alive, would have more representation in the congress and therefore have more power to make laws, including laws to codify slavery. So, the compromise was that for representative purposes enslaved people would count towards representation as 3 people for every 5.