What does article 1 section 2 clause 3 say?

Asked by: Prof. Jennings Crist Jr.  |  Last update: May 15, 2026
Score: 4.9/5 (59 votes)

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, often called the "Three-Fifths Clause", established how to count people for both legislative representation and direct taxes, counting "three fifths of all other Persons" (enslaved Africans) along with free persons, while excluding untaxed Indians, a provision replaced by the 14th Amendment. It also set forth the Census requirement for reapportionment every 10 years and the rule that each state must have at least one Representative, preventing states from having zero seats.

What is Article 1 Section 2 Clause 3?

Clause 3 Seats

The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.

What does article I section 2 clause 3 say about slavery?

Likewise, the “Three-Fifths Clause” in Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3, provides that apportionment of representatives would be based on the population of free persons excluding “Indians not taxed” and “three fifths of all other persons.” Those “other persons” were, of course, the African slaves who made up around a ...

What is Article 1 Section 3 Clause 3 simplified?

Clause 3 Qualifications

No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

What was the compromise found in Article 1 Section 2 Clause 3?

The compromise counted three-fifths of each state's slave population toward that state's total population for the purpose of apportioning the House of Representatives, effectively giving the Southern states more power in the House relative to the Northern states.

The Constitution Line By Line: Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3- Apportionment of Representatives

30 related questions found

What does article 1, 2, and 3 of the Constitution establish?

Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the U.S. Constitution establish the three branches of the federal government, embodying the principle of separation of powers: Article I creates the Legislative Branch (Congress) to make laws; Article II creates the Executive Branch (President) to enforce laws; and Article III creates the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court and lower federal courts) to interpret laws, ensuring checks and balances.
 

What is article 2 section 3 of the Constitution summary?

This Section invests the President with the discretion to convene Congress on “extraordinary occasions,” a power that has been used to summon the chambers to consider nominations, war declarations, and emergency legislation.

What is Article 2 Section 2 Clause 3 simplified?

Clause 3 Senate Recess

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

What is the Article 1 Section 2?

Section 2 House of Representatives

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

Can a US President be charged with treason?

Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. President Donald Trump was impeached twice during his single term in office.

What does article 2 and 3 say?

Article 2 – Admission and establishment of the new state. Article 3 – Formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries, and name of existing states.

How did article 1 section 2 preserve the institution of slavery?

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 amendment replaces article 2 section 1 clause 3?

The Twelfth Amendment (Amendment XII) to the United States Constitution provides the procedure for electing the president and vice president. It replaced the procedure in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3, under which the Electoral College originally functioned.

What does article 2 section 1 clause 3 of the Constitution mean?

Section 1 Function and Selection

Clause 3 Electoral College Count. The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves.

Is God mentioned in the US Constitution?

No, the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention God, Jesus, or Christianity; its focus is secular, establishing government structure and guaranteeing religious freedom, though it uses the phrase "Year of our Lord" for dating the document and mentions "religion" in the First Amendment regarding no establishment of religion. The document instead separates church and state, ensuring no religious test for office and prohibiting a government-established religion, reflecting the founders' aim for religious liberty.
 

What is the main idea of Article 1 Section 3 of the Constitution?

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

What is the main topic of section 2 article 1?

Article I, Section 2, specifies that the House of Representatives be composed of members who are chosen every two years by the people of the states.

What does article 1 say in simple terms?

Article I of the U.S. Constitution establishes the Legislative Branch (Congress), dividing it into the House of Representatives and the Senate, and outlines its powers, like making laws, along with limits, ensuring a separation of powers. It details how representatives are elected (by population) and senators elected (originally by state legislatures, now by people), setting rules for lawmaking and defining key congressional duties like impeachment.
 

Why is Article 1 so important?

Article I describes the design of the legislative branch of US Government -- the Congress. Important ideas include the separation of powers between branches of government (checks and balances), the election of Senators and Representatives, the process by which laws are made, and the powers that Congress has.

What does article I section 2 clause 3 mean?

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, known as the Enumeration Clause or the Census Clause, “reflects several important constitutional determinations: that comparative state political power in the House would reflect comparative population, not comparative wealth; that comparative power would shift every 10 years to reflect ...

What do articles 1, 2, and 3 of the Constitution establish?

The first three articles establish the three branches of government and their powers: Legislative (Congress), Executive (office of the President,) and Judicial (Federal court system).

What is the Article 1 Section 2 Clause 2 of the United States Constitution?

Clause 2 Qualifications

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

What does Article 3 Section 2 say in simple terms?

Section 2 Continued –

The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.

What is the Article 2 Section 2 Clause 2?

The Constitution provides, in the second paragraph of Article II, Section 2, that “the President shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.” Thus, treaty making is a power shared between the President and the Senate.

What are the Article 2 and 3 of the Human Rights Act?

Article 2: Right to life. Article 3: Freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. Article 4: Freedom from slavery and forced labour. Article 5: Right to liberty and security.