How would each population be decided under the three fifths compromise?

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise reached at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in which three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted when determining a state's population for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives and taxation. This compromise was reached between Northern states, who wanted to exclude enslaved people from being counted at all, and Southern states, who wanted to count them as whole persons.

How would each population be decided under the three-fifths compromise?

Under the Three-Fifths Compromise, the population of each state would be determined by adding together the number of free persons and three-fifths of the number of enslaved people. For example, if a state had 100 free persons and 50 enslaved people, its population would be considered to be 175 people for purposes of representation and taxation.

Impact of the Three-Fifths Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise had a significant impact on the political power of Southern states. By counting three-fifths of the enslaved population, Southern states were able to increase their representation in the House of Representatives and Electoral College, giving them more power in the federal government. This compromise also helped to protect the institution of slavery, as it gave slave states an economic incentive to keep enslaved people in bondage.

Abolition of Slavery

The Three-Fifths Compromise was ultimately overturned by the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery in 1865. The Thirteenth Amendment declared that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."