Three Fifths Compromise

Friday, November 29, 2007

Do now: Go to the following website:

Wikipedia.org Enter: Three fifths compromise


What group of Americans were addressed in the Three-fifths Compromise



Along with the Great Compromise the issue of slavery also played a role in the Constitutional Convention.

Slavery had existed in all of the thirteen states but by the 1780’s it was dying a slow but steady death throughout the northern states.

While dying in the north slavery was prosperous and growing in the southern states.
During the convention the southern states insisted that the hundreds of thousands of African-American slaves be counted the same as the free peoples of their state.

Delegates from the northern states opposed this since both sides considered the slaves as
Property. And the northern states wanted them to be taxed like property.

The compromise that was finally agreed upon was called the Three-Fifths Compromise. Each of the slaves would only be counted as 3/5’s of a person while at the same time they would be counted as property and taxed.

Even though the slaves would be “represented” they would not be allowed to vote nor would they even be considered as citizens of the new nation.