3/5 Clause in the U.S. Constitution

[My Name Is Kate]

Here is an interesting article about why the 3/5 clause concerning slaves was introduced into the Constitution. It was actually intended to be anti-slavery, rather than an arbitrary racist measurement of the worth of black persons.

https://americanvision.org/3918/the-orig...fths-myth/

This article states that free blacks were counted on a par with whites for purposes of apportionment, even in the original Constitution.

https://www.heritage.org/constitution/co...son-19.pdf

[LincolnMan]

Thank you for sharing this. It is very helpful in understanding the matter. And—-I’ve never heard it explained this way.

[L Verge]

I agree with Bill. The first article, to me, is much clearer than the second. When I read the heritage article, as a former teacher, my first thought was that I hoped the students were in an honors or AP course because the article and the lesson plans were pretty deep.

As for the first article, I never remember any of my instructors describing the 3/5 Clause so concisely and so easy to understand. Thanks much for sharing.