Three-Fifths Compromise

Today, July 12th 1787, the Three-Fifths Compromise was passed at the Constitutional Convention. This compromise"determined that representation in the House of Representatives would be based on the population of each state., Madison said after the compromise: "It seems now to be pretty well understood that the real difference of interests lies not between the large and small but between the northern and southern states. The institution of slavery and its consequences form the line of discrimination."While working out the kinks of this compromise, there were many debates on how slaves were to be counted. The Northerners want all slaves to be counted as property, thus receiving no representation in the House. The Southerners, on the other hand, want slaves to be counted as whites, which is awfully ironic. How dare slave owners treat blacks as a disposable resource when there is hard labor to be done, but as soon as the southern states want a say in government blacks and white are equal!

The delegates at the Constitution Convention have decided the best way to please both sides was to create the Three-Fifths Compromise. The slaves in each state will now be counted as 3/5 of a person when determining the number of representatives or when taxes are distributed. The delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman originally proposed the 3/5 idea and lucky pleased all other delegates present. This will created a limited government that will not be able to touch the slave trade for the next 20 years.

It will be interesting to see how the Three-Fifths Compromise will play out over the next few years, especially with how much the Northern states have been growing lately. This may become the Southern states' downfall in the House if the number of Northern representatives pass the number from the South.