The Three-Fifths Compromise determined representation by counting enslaved people as what fraction?

The Three-Fifths Compromise determined representation by counting enslaved people as what fraction?

• A. Enslaved people counted as 3/5 for representation.
• B. Enslaved people counted as full persons.
• C. Enslaved people not counted at all.
• D. Enslaved people counted as 1/2.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is why the Constitution counted enslaved people in a unusual way when deciding how many representatives a state would get. At the Constitutional Convention, Northern states didn’t want enslaved people to boost representation, while Southern states wanted them counted to gain political power. The result was a compromise: enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person for determining a state's population for representation in the House and for taxation. So for every five enslaved people, three would be added to a state's counted population. This gave the South more influence than if enslaved people weren’t counted at all, but less than if they were counted as full persons. The arrangement stayed in effect until it was altered by later amendments, notably the 14th Amendment, which changed how population counts affected representation.

The main idea here is why the Constitution counted enslaved people in a unusual way when deciding how many representatives a state would get. At the Constitutional Convention, Northern states didn’t want enslaved people to boost representation, while Southern states wanted them counted to gain political power. The result was a compromise: enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person for determining a state's population for representation in the House and for taxation. So for every five enslaved people, three would be added to a state's counted population. This gave the South more influence than if enslaved people weren’t counted at all, but less than if they were counted as full persons. The arrangement stayed in effect until it was altered by later amendments, notably the 14th Amendment, which changed how population counts affected representation.