The Three-Fifths Compromise (1788)

• What did the US Constitution, approved in 1787, say about slavery?


  The Constitution didn't make direct decisions about slavery, but included important references to it, such as the power to stop the importation of enslaved people in 20 years.
• When did Congress stop the importation of enslaved people?

  In 1808, 20 years after the Constitution granted Congress the power to do so.
• What was the "three-fifths" clause in the Constitution?


  It was a compromise that counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for purposes of congressional representation and taxation.
• Why was the "three-fifths" compromise needed?


  Northern states argued enslaved people were treated as property and shouldn't count for representation, while Southern states disagreed. The compromise helped avoid division between the North and South.
• What did the "three-fifths" compromise reveal about the early US?


  It highlighted the growing divide between the North and South over slavery.