Texas A&M University (TAMU) HIST105 History of the United States Exam 2 Practice

The correct answer is the three-fifths clause, which was established during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. This clause was particularly significant in addressing the contentious issue of how slaves would be counted for purposes of taxation and representation in Congress.

Southern states, where slavery was more prevalent, wanted slaves to be counted as part of the population to increase their representation in the House of Representatives. However, northern states opposed this, arguing that since slaves were not considered citizens, they should not be counted for representation and therefore should not influence congressional apportionment.

To reach a compromise, the framers of the Constitution agreed that each enslaved person would be counted as three-fifths of a person. This resolution allowed southern states to increase their representation without fully acknowledging slaves as citizens. The three-fifths compromise thus played a crucial role in balancing the interests of slave-holding states with those of states that had less or no reliance on slavery, deeply embedding the institution of slavery within the political framework of the United States.