Question 2: What is the three-fifths compromise? How could the Framers JUSTIFY counting a human being as LESS THAN a whole person?

What is the three-fifths compromise?

The three-fifth compromise was a legislation that was made to dispute the argument between Southern States and Northern states on how to count the population.

Population determine the amount of  government representatives that each states have. Having more population will be more beneficial for the states.

At that time, the Sothern States possess a lot of slaves. they argue that slaves should be considered as part of the population. The Northern states who did not possess a lot of slaves disagree with this.

After years of argument, they agreed on three-fifth compromises. They agreed on counting 1 slave as 3/5 population .

How could the Framers JUSTIFY counting a  human being as LESS THAN a whole person?

People who live during that time did not see Enslaved Africans as an equal human being of them. So , did not have any problem considering 1 slaves as less then a human being.

On top of that, the northern states did not want the southern states to have too much power in the government. So, counting the slaves as 3/5 person is was far more beneficial for them rather than letting the southern states count them as one.