What is the 2 5 rule for slavery?
Asked by: Harrison Hamill | Last update: February 13, 2026Score: 4.9/5 (16 votes)
The "2/5 rule" is a common misremembering of the Three-Fifths Compromise, a U.S. Constitutional agreement counting enslaved people as three-fifths (3/5) of a person for federal representation and taxation, significantly boosting Southern states' political power in Congress and the Electoral College. It wasn't about a "2/5" figure, but about adding 60% (three-fifths) of the enslaved population to the free population for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives and determining direct taxes.
What was the 3 5 rule for slavery?
The "3/5 rule" refers to the Three-Fifths Compromise, an agreement at the 1787 Constitutional Convention that counted three out of every five enslaved people as part of a state's total population for purposes of both congressional representation and direct taxation, significantly boosting Southern states' political power in the House of Representatives and Electoral College. This compromise, embedded in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, acknowledged enslaved people as partially human for political power while treating them as property, creating a lasting tension over slavery that shaped American politics before the Civil War.
What does 3-5 have to do with slavery?
Compromise and enactment
After a contentious debate, the compromise that was finally agreed upon—of counting "all other persons" as only three-fifths of their actual numbers—reduced the representation of the slave states relative to the original proposals, but improved it over the Northern position.
What was the most important consequence of the 3-5 rule?
The immediate effect of the Three-Fifths Compromise was to inflate the power of the Southern states in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College. These were the states in which the vast majority of enslaved persons lived.
What was the 3 5 compromise created to determine how slaves would be counted in a state population for these two issues?
Ultimately, delegates returned to a compromise that James Madison had proposed when settling these same questions during the drafting of the Articles of Confederation: an enslaved Black person would neither entirely count nor not count, but instead be counted as three-fifths of a person for questions of both taxation ...
The 3/5 Compromise - One Minute History
Why did they pick 3-5?
The "3/5" in the Three-Fifths Compromise at the 1787 Constitutional Convention was a political deal to count three-fifths of the enslaved population for both taxation and representation in Congress, giving Southern states more power in the House while also increasing their tax burden, balancing Northern and Southern interests to create a unified Constitution. Southern states wanted slaves counted as full persons for representation but not taxes, while Northern states wanted the opposite; 3/5 was the middle ground, boosting Southern political strength in exchange for more federal taxes.
Does the 3-5 compromise still exist?
No, the Three-Fifths Compromise is not still in effect; it was nullified by the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, which changed how states are apportioned for representation by counting the "whole number of persons" in each state, effectively ending the counting of only three-fifths of enslaved or formerly enslaved people for political power.
Were black people considered 2/3?
Often misinterpreted to mean that African Americans as individuals are considered three-fifths of a person or that they are three-fifths of a citizen of the U.S., the three-fifths clause (Article I, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution of 1787) in fact declared that for purposes of representation in Congress, enslaved ...
Why is the Three-Fifths Compromise bad?
The Compromise, Bates said, was made to get the South to sign the Constitution. Being able to count each slave as three-fifths of a person gave the Southern states more voting power in the U.S. House of Representatives without having to extend any voting rights to the slaves, which helped entrenched slavery further.
Were slaves considered human?
Although the enslaved of the early Republic were considered sentient property, were not permitted to vote, and had no rights to speak of, they were to be enumerated in population censuses and counted as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation in the national legislature, the U.S. Congress.
What was the law that stated that every 5 slaves would count as 3 people for taxation and representation purposes?
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.
Who abolished slavery in the USA?
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.
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.
Did the 14th Amendment get rid of the 3-5 compromise?
Yes, the 14th Amendment effectively eliminated the Three-Fifths Compromise by mandating that states count the "whole number of persons" for congressional representation, rather than the three-fifths previously used for "other persons" (enslaved people), following the abolition of slavery by the 13th Amendment. Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment specifically changed the apportionment method, ensuring formerly enslaved people were counted fully, thus nullifying the earlier compromise that boosted Southern states' political power.
What does article 1 section 9 of the Constitution say about slavery?
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
What did the New Constitution of 1787 say about slavery?
The Constitution also prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years. A fugitive slave clause required the return of runaway slaves to their owners. The Constitution gave the federal government the power to put down domestic rebellions, including slave insurrections.
Which amendment canceled the three-fifths clause?
Subsequently, the Fourteenth Amendment explicitly repealed the Three-Fifths Clause. U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2 ( Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. ).
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- ...
What position did the original US Constitution take on slavery?
Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1, is one of a handful of provisions in the original Constitution related to slavery, though it does not use the word “slave.” This Clause prohibited the federal government from limiting the importation of “persons” (understood at the time to mean primarily enslaved African persons) where ...
What were black people called in the 1500s?
In the 1500s, Black people were referred to by various terms, often linked to geography or perceived religion, including Moors, Ethiopians (used broadly for Africans), Negroes, Blackamoors, and sometimes Saracens, with the evolving concept of "race" starting to formalize but still blended with older cultural labels. Terms like "Moor" described dark-skinned people, often Muslims from North Africa, while "Negro" (from Spanish/Portuguese for black) became a common label for enslaved Africans, as seen in records from the period.
What happened in 1969 for black people?
The Black Student Strike of 1969
Joined by thousands of white allies, they held rallies to educate the community about racial inequities, boycotted classes, marched to the state Capitol, took over lecture halls and blocked building entrances.
What does article 7 of the US Constitution say?
Article VII of the U.S. Constitution is about the ratification process, stating that nine of the thirteen states needed to approve it through special state conventions for the Constitution to become the law of the land, replacing the Articles of Confederation. It established the conditions for the new government to take effect and included the date the Constitution was signed (September 17, 1787).
Does the Constitution say every man is equal?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Has the 25th Amendment been invoked?
The first use of the 25th Amendment occurred in 1973 when President Richard Nixon nominated Congressman Gerald R. Ford of Michigan to fill the vacancy left by Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation.
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.