What is Article 1 Section 2 Clause 3?
Asked by: Betty Johnson | Last update: February 19, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (47 votes)
Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, known as the Enumeration Clause, originally dictated how to count the population (including the infamous "Three-Fifths Clause" for slaves) to apportion Representatives and direct taxes among states, requiring a census every ten years and ensuring each state at least one Representative. While its core principle of proportional representation remains, the specifics, especially regarding slavery, were changed by the 14th Amendment, and the direct tax part modified by the 16th Amendment.
What is the Article 1 Section 2 Clause 3?
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, ...
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.
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 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.
Constitution Line by Line: Article 3, Section 2, Clause 1A- Types of Cases and Controversies
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 establishes the Executive Branch (President) to enforce laws, and Article III creates the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court and lower courts) to interpret laws.
Why was the Three-Fifths Compromise included in article 1 section 2?
They well understood that one-third of that number was comprised of slaves. Were these humans not counted for purposes of representation, the population of southern states would drop from 49 percent of the national population to 39. The three-fifths compromise, written into Article 1, Section 2, resolved the conflict.
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.
Does the Constitution mention white people?
The U.S. Constitution never mentions white people. Indeed, the entirety of constitutional and statutory law, at both the federal and state level, includes only two antidiscrimina- tion statutes that refer explicitly to white people.
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 is Section 1 of Article 2 in simple terms?
Article II, Section 1 establishes that the president and vice president are to be elected at the same time and serve the same four-year term. Until 1951, presidents could serve for as many four-year terms as they could win.
Is God mentioned in the U.S. Constitution?
No, the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention God, Jesus, or Christianity; its framework is secular, focusing on governmental structure, though it mentions "religion" in the First Amendment to protect religious freedom and prohibit an established religion. The only divine reference is in the signing date, "in the Year of our Lord," a common phrase of the era, not a theological statement, notes TCU Magazine.
Which amendment replaces article 2 section 1 clause 3?
Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 outlined the process for selecting the President and Vice President. The provision is no longer operative because the Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, superseded it.
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.
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.
Does the Speaker of the House have to be a member of Congress?
The Constitution does not explicitly require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, although every speaker thus far has been. If an incumbent member, the speaker also represents their district and retains the right to vote.
Are black people protected under the Constitution?
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is one of the nation's most important laws relating to citizenship and civil rights. 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.
Does the word woman appear in the Constitution?
Not only are women not mentioned in the original Constitution, there is no provision anywhere that applies to women as a distinct group.
Does the Bill of Rights apply to non-citizens?
Yes. Under the U.S. Constitution and laws, due process requires just and fair treatment of everyone, regardless of background or immigration status, if their life, freedom, or property is at risk. This includes having the opportunity to defend their rights in court.
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 happens if a President violates the Constitution?
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. The Federalist No. 65 (Alexander Hamilton); Peter Hoffer & N.E.H. Hull, Impeachment in America, 1635–1805 59–95 (1984).
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 3 5 human law?
The Three-Fifths Compromise was reached among state delegates during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. It determined that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation.
Was the Electoral College part of the original Constitution?
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The Founding Fathers established it in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
Who is article 4 section 2 clause 3 of the Constitution talking to?
The third clause of Article IV, Section 2 is known as the “Fugitive Slave Clause.” It is one of five clauses in the Constitution that dealt directly with slavery, although it does not use the word “slave,” and instead refers to “person[s] held to Service or Labour.” Compared to the Slave Trade Clause and the Three- ...