How did the three fifths compromise get its name?
The three-fifths compromise was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where the U.S. constitution was adopted. Taxes were determined by population, as was representation in the House of Representatives. The compromise was that, for purposes of taxation and representation, the slave population would count as three-fifths of the actual number.The NameThe name comes from the fact that for representation, each slave was counted as three-fifths of one person.Disproportionate power for Southern white votersThe three-fifths compromise gave disproportionate power to Southern whites; they got the benefit of more legislators than their population would otherwise have given them, but since slaves were not allowed to vote or given any rights, the legislators represented only the voting whites.Were slaves three-fifths human?It is sometimes written that each slave was considered to be three-fifths human, but it was strictly for representational purposes.
