3/5ths compromise

3/5ths compromise

Constitutional Convention Debate ​2

Multiple Choice

Look at the chart (focusing mostly on the last two columns.) Do you think the southern states would want enslaved people to be counted in population when determining representation in the House of Representatives?

• Yes

• No

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​Southern States Point of View

• ​Southern states wanted enslaved people to be counted in the population for determining the number of representatives that each state would get

• ​If enslaved people were counted in the population, southern states would get more representatives, and therefore more power

• ​Southern states feared that if enslaved people were not counted, Northern states would have too much power over them since the North had a larger free population than the south

Multiple Choice

Did southern states want enslaved people to be counted in the population when determining state representation?

• Yes, because it would help the southern states to get more representatives

• No, because it would help the northern states to get more representatives

• No, because they did not want enslaved people to become representatives

• Yes, because southern states could abolish slavery

​Northern States Point of View

• ​Northern states did not want enslaved people to be counted in the population for determining the number of representatives for each state

• ​If enslaved people were counted in the population, southern states would get an unfair increase in representation

• Since southerners did not allow enslaved people to vote, it didn't make sense for them to get more representatives. The additional representatives would not actually represent the enslaved people

• Eldbridge Gerry of Massachusetts said counting enslaved people in the south would be like counting cattle and horses in the North

Multiple Choice

Why did northern states not want enslaved people to be counted in the population for determining state representation? 

• They feared that it would lead to the abolition of slavery

• They feared that it would an unfair advantage to the southern states

• They feared that they would lose representatives because they didn't have an enslaved population

Turn & Talk​

Do you think the North and South will compromise about whether to count enslaved people in the population? 

If yes, what do you think the compromise will be?

If no, why not?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the 3/5ths compromise?

• A decision that 3/5ths of enslaved people would count towards population when determining state representation and taxation

• A decision that 3/5ths of enslaved people would allowed to be representatives in Congress

• A decision that 3/5ths of all representatives would be allowed to vote in Congress

Multiple Choice

What did the 3/5ths compromise resolve?

• Disagreements between the small and large states

• Disagreements between the wealthy and poor states

• Disagreements between the northern and southern states

• Disagreements between the eastern and western states

Multiple Choice

What did the Slave Trade Compromise decide?

• That slavery would be banned in the U.S. by 1808

• That the Transatlantic Slave Trade would be banned in the U.S. by 1808

• That slavery could exist but only in the southern states

• That 3/5ths of enslaved people counted in population for representation purposes