What was the 3/5 Compromise

Though it is tough to digest today, it is a fact that slavery as a practice was prevalent in the United States of America in the 18th century. There were those opposed to it and those in favor of it, but as a practice, it was still legally allowed in that period. Today as we look back at our past with shame and despise the way human beings were bought as slaves, it is a vestige of the past that remains stuck in American history.

Background

The developments that ultimately lead to the addition of the 3/5 compromise, began unfolding, when it was decided that the United States constitution would be created and for the purpose of taxation laws and determination of representatives from each state, an evaluation of the wealth of states and the number of people that dwelt in each needed to be conducted. The idea was that the number of representatives from each state would be decided according to the number people inhabiting the region. Besides that, taxation was to be decided not on the basis of real estate, but according to the number of people that lived in each, as they decided the earning capacity.

While discussions between southern and northern states were on, there was a deadlock regarding whether or not, the non-free people be included when determining the number of representatives and the tax distribution. From deliberations, a compromise was reached.

What Was it About?

Here is an extract from Article 1, Section 2 and Paragraph 3 of the United States constitution, which states the three-fifths compromise decision:

"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."

The part to be noted is the last clause which includes only 3/5th of the non-free or slave population for apportionment of number of representatives and for calculating direct taxes. This suggestion of the 3/5 compromise was first presented by James Madison. Most of the non-free or slave population existed in the south and the compromise gave the south an advantage. This was due to the catch that the slave population had no voting rights while their numbers could provide the south with more representatives. The date on which it was made to be a part of the American constitution, was between May 25 and September 17, 1787 when the Philadelphia convention was held.

The compromise was agreed by the anti-slavery Northern states as a means to maintain the balance of power. After the civil war and the final triumph of the northern states, this article was abolished and the population that was enslaved for centuries, were freed and granted voting rights.

Personally, I find the idea of considering a whole person as a 3/5 th of a person to be very strange. However, it was a fact of those times, which cannot be ignored. The compromise had long term effects on the political developments and tug of war in balance of power between northern and southern states that went on till the American civil war, which finally brought an end to the practice of slavery and United States became a truly free country of free people!