What did the Three-Fifths Compromise do?

• A. Counted three-fifths of enslaved people for representation and taxation.
• B. Ended slavery in the United States.
• C. Guaranteed enslaved people full citizenship.
• D. Equal representation for enslaved and free people.

Answer: (A)

This question is about how enslaved people were counted when determining a state's representation and tax obligations in the new government. At the Constitutional Convention, delegates faced a dispute over whether enslaved people should be counted for representation in the House and for taxes. The compromise reached was to count enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for both representation and taxation. This meant that enslaved individuals contributed to a state's political power in the House and to federal revenue, but not as fully as free people.

This arrangement temporarily boosted the influence of slaveholding states in Congress, while slavery itself remained legal. It did not end slavery, grant full citizenship to enslaved people, or provide equal representation between enslaved and free people. The essential point is that three-fifths of enslaved people were counted for purposes of representation and taxation.