Three-Fifths Compromise Facts & Worksheets

• To address these issues, a Constitutional Convention was called in 1787 with the goal of drafting a new plan of governance. Representatives from most of the states met in Philadelphia to negotiate the new Constitution. However, they couldn't agree on how to handle slavery.
• Southern states depended on enslaved people for farming large-scale cotton, tobacco and rice plantations, and they insisted on maintaining slavery. They wanted enslaved individuals to be counted as part of their population, even though the latter could not vote. This would give them more power in the government.
• On the other hand, in the Northern states, slavery wasn't as common. They argued that counting enslaved individuals unfairly gave the South more representation in Congress and the Electoral College. This tension between the Northern and Southern states threatened to derail the entire constitutional process.
• This conflict over slavery and political influence almost prevented the convention from succeeding. The Three-Fifths Compromise was a last-ditch effort to find a solution, but it would have long-lasting consequences for the country.

Drafting and Ratification

• The Three-Fifths Compromise emerged from weeks of tense debate and negotiation at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. It aimed to resolve a debate between Southern and Northern states over the issue of representation and taxation in relation to enslaved individuals.
• To refine the language and specifics of the compromise, the Convention appointed a Committee of Detail. This committee, tasked with drafting the Constitution's articles, incorporated the three-fifths ratio into Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3, which dealt with representation in the House of Representatives. The compromise itself specified that for every five enslaved people in a state, three would be counted towards the state's total population for both representation and taxation.“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.”

Arguments for the Compromise:

• • Preservation of Unity: Southern delegates argued that the compromise was crucial for the newly formed nation's unity. They maintained that without it, Southern states, fearing being marginalised in the new government, would refuse to join the Union.

• • Economic Considerations: Southern states, heavily reliant on enslaved labour for their agricultural economies, argued that counting enslaved individuals towards representation would ensure their interests were fairly represented in the government.

• • Taxation Concerns: They also argued that if enslaved individuals were to be counted for representation, they should also be counted for the purposes of taxation, which was a point of contention with some Northern delegates.

Arguments Against the Compromise:

• • Moral Outrage: Many Northern delegates found the notion of counting enslaved people as fractions of human beings morally unacceptable. They argued that it directly contradicted the principles of liberty and equality upon which the nation was being founded.

• • Political Imbalance: Northern delegates argued that the compromise would give Southern states disproportionate power in the government, allowing them to dominate national policy and potentially perpetuate the institution of slavery.
  • Representation without Rights: They questioned the logic of counting enslaved people for representation when they had no voice or rights in the political process.
• After further debate and revisions, the final draft of the Constitution, including the Three-Fifths Compromise, was presented to the Convention delegates for approval. Despite reservations from some delegates, the compromise, seen as essential for national unity, was ultimately adopted as part of the larger document. The Constitution, with the compromise embedded within it, was then sent to the states for ratification. With the ratification of the Constitution by the required number of states in 1788, the Three-Fifths Compromise officially became the law of the land.

Some of the key figures involved in the Three-Fifths Compromise were:

• James Madison: As a key figure in drafting the Constitution, Madison is widely regarded as the 'Father of the Constitution'. Although he initially had moral objections to slavery, he acknowledged the need for a compromise to ensure the Constitution's ratification.

• Roger Sherman: A delegate from Connecticut, Sherman played a pivotal role in brokering the compromise.

• James Wilson: A delegate from Pennsylvania, Wilson supported the Three-Fifths Compromise as a necessary concession to Southern states. He believed that it was essential to maintain national unity and secure ratification of the Constitution.
• John Rutledge: A delegate from South Carolina, Rutledge was a strong advocate for the interests of Southern slaveholding states. He argued passionately for the inclusion of enslaved people in the population count for representation.