Why was 3/5 chosen as the ratio in the 3/5 Compromise?
First, there was not a lot of debate in the Constitutional Convention over this number. It was simply borrowed from earlier efforts of Congress to fix a census number for apportioning the TAXES each state should pay. Of course, in that earlier debate the South argued that slaves NOT be counted at all, the North wanted them fully counted. When in came to the Constitutional Convention’s debate over how to apportion *representation* for Congress and the electoral college, the North did NOT want non-voting blacks counted –so increasing the power of Southern states– the South wanted them fully counted. (Do note that the commonly repeated “counted as 3/5 human” is nonsense. That wasn’t the point, which is esp. clear when you realize the NORTH did not want to count them at all and the South wanted the full count!!) NEITHER side “won” the original debate on tax rates. Rather, when the all or nothing votes failed, various compromise proportions were tried till finally 3/5 managed to get more
