Were slaves considered 3/5 of a person?
Asked by: Jerry Swaniawski | Last update: February 17, 2026Score: 4.3/5 (16 votes)
Yes, under the U.S. Constitution's Three-Fifths Compromise at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, enslaved people were counted as three-fifths of a person for determining a state's population for congressional representation and taxation, a political agreement that boosted Southern states' power but denied enslaved individuals rights or full personhood. This clause, in Article I, Section 2, meant more seats in the House of Representatives and more electoral votes for slave states, even though they were treated as property, not citizens, and weren't counted as fully human.
Were slaves counted as three-fifths?
It determined that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation. Before the Civil War, the Three-Fifths Compromise gave a disproportionate representation of slave states in the House of Representatives.
Are black people still considered 3/5 of a man?
The three-fifths clause remained in force until the post-Civil War 13th Amendment freed all enslaved people in the United States, the 14th amendment gave them full citizenship, and the 15th Amendment granted black men the right to vote.
What fraction of a person were slaves?
Seeing that the states could not remain united about counting the slaves as five-fifths without some sort of compromise measure, the ratio of three-fifths was brought back to the table and agreed to by eight states to two.
How much were slaves counted as a person?
Known as the Three-Fifths Compromise, Article I, Section 2, counts each slave as three-fifths of a person for state representation.
The 3/5 Compromise - One Minute History
What does three-fifths of a person mean?
In other words, every white citizen, including indentured servants, would be counted as whole people, while Black citizens would be counted as three-fifths of a person.
How were slaves counted?
Article one, section two of the Constitution of the United States declared that any person who was not free would be counted as three-fifths of a free individual for the purposes of determining congressional representation. The "Three-Fifths Clause" thus increased the political power of slaveholding states.
What country never had slavery?
There's no single country that never had slavery in some form, as it's a nearly universal historical practice, but some societies, like ancient Persia and Japan, lacked chattel slavery, while nations like Bulgaria (ancestors) culturally opposed it and made it a crime, and Haiti became the first nation to permanently abolish slavery after its own revolution, though even modern nations like Mauritania were last to abolish it in 1981. Defining "country" (modern state vs. ancient civilization) and "slavery" (chattel vs. debt/forced labor) is key.
Which president had 600 slaves?
Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President and author of the Declaration of Independence, enslaved over 600 Black people throughout his life, the most of any U.S. president, with many working at his Monticello plantation and also in the White House. Jefferson's life presented a paradox, as he championed liberty while holding hundreds in bondage, a contradiction highlighted by the enslaved individuals who served him.
What race was enslaved for 400 years?
People of African descent were the primary race enslaved for approximately 400 years in the Americas, beginning with the forced arrival of enslaved Africans in English North America in 1619, a system of racialized chattel slavery that profoundly shaped U.S. history and continues to impact society today. This transatlantic slave trade forcibly brought millions of Africans to the Americas, creating enduring legacies of inequality and struggle for African Americans.
What is the blackest state in America?
The "blackest" state by percentage of population is typically Mississippi, followed closely by Louisiana and Georgia, while the state with the largest total number of Black residents is Texas, according to data from sources like the Census Bureau and World Population Review. The District of Columbia (a federal district, not a state) usually has the highest proportion.
Who said slaves were 3/5 of a person?
James Madison proposed it in 1783 when the US under the Articles of Confederation wanted to tax states based on population, including their slaves. Jefferson said it was like the north would only be taxed for population, but the south would be taxed for population and property.
Are half black people still black?
The nation's answer to the question 'Who is black?" has long been that a black is any person with any known African black ancestry. This definition reflects the long experience with slavery and later with Jim Crow segregation.
When were black people considered a whole person?
Ratified in 1868, three years after the abolishment of slavery, the 14th Amendment served a revolutionary purpose — to define African Americans as equal citizens under the law.
Why was 3-5 chosen?
Southern states had wanted representation apportioned by population; after the Virginia Plan was rejected, the Three-Fifths Compromise seemed to guarantee that the South would be strongly represented in the House of Representatives and would have disproportionate power in electing Presidents.
Are black people considered human in the Constitution?
Race and the Constitution
Our founding principles are colorblind (although our history, regrettably, has not been). The Constitution speaks of people, citizens, persons, other persons (a euphemism for slaves) and Indians not taxed (in which case, it is their tax-exempt status, and not their skin color, that matters).
Which president never freed his slaves?
Many U.S. Presidents did not free slaves, as slavery was legal and common, with prominent enslavers including Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson, while others like John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham Lincoln did not own slaves but faced complexities in their stances on emancipation. President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in rebellious states, not all enslaved people, and many presidents supported the institution, never freeing those they enslaved.
Which president freed the most slaves?
President Abraham Lincoln freed the most slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and the 13th Amendment (ratified 1865), which abolished slavery nationwide, freeing millions, though it was a gradual process involving Union armies and Black agency, not an immediate blanket release.
Did Thomas Jefferson have children with slaves?
Madison Hemings stated in 1873 that he and his siblings Beverly, Harriet, and Eston were Thomas Jefferson's children. The descendants of Madison Hemings who have lived as African-Americans have passed a family history of descent from Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings down through the generations.
What country did most slaves come from?
The vast majority of those who were transported in the transatlantic slave trade were from Central Africa and West Africa and had been sold by West African slave traders to European slave traders, while others had been captured directly by the slave traders in coastal raids.
Who actually stopped slavery?
On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures. The necessary number of states (three-fourths) ratified it by December 6, 1865.
Did Russia ever have slaves?
Slavery, by contrast, was an ancient institution in Russia and effectively was abolished in the 1720s. Serfdom, which began in 1450, evolved into near-slavery in the eighteenth century and was finally abolished in 1906. Serfdom in its Russian variant could not have existed without the precedent and presence of slavery.
How were most slaves captured?
Most of the Africans who were enslaved were captured in battles or were kidnapped, though some were sold into slavery for debt or as punishment. The captives were marched to the coast, often enduring long journeys of weeks or even months, shackled to one another.
What is the proper term for slaves?
Some journalists and historians prefer to use the term "enslaved" instead of the word "slave," to better describe those held in American slavery, and to acknowledge the horror and exploitation they were forced to face.
Is 3-5 still in Constitution?
No, the Three-Fifths Compromise is not still in the Constitution; it was officially repealed by the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 after the Civil War, which changed the basis for congressional representation to count the "whole number of persons" in each state, thereby ending the practice of counting only three-fifths of enslaved people. The original clause in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution is now superseded and considered inoperative, replaced by the principle of counting all people for representation, with a provision to reduce representation for states denying voting rights to adult males.