Final answer:
The Three-Fifths Compromise resolved the dispute over how enslaved individuals were to be counted for taxation and representation purposes, determining that each enslaved person would be considered three-fifths of a person for both.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Three-Fifths Compromise, a pivotal agreement during the drafting of the United States Constitution in 1787, aimed to address the contentious issue of representation and taxation in a manner that balanced the interests of slaveholding and non-slaveholding states. The compromise arose from the disagreement on how to account for enslaved individuals in determining a state's population for the purpose of both taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.
The compromise itself stipulated that each enslaved person would be counted as three-fifths of a person when calculating a state's population. This formula had significant implications for the distribution of taxes and the allocation of seats in the House. On one hand, it afforded slaveholding states increased representation in the House of Representatives, thereby enhancing their political influence within the federal government. However, on the other hand, it did not grant full recognition to the enslaved population, as they were systematically devalued by the three-fifths ratio.
This compromise was a delicate and morally fraught solution, emblematic of the broader tensions between states with divergent economic and social structures. Southern states with significant enslaved populations sought to maximize their representation and minimize taxation, leading to the compromise that ultimately bolstered the political power of slaveholding states.
The Three-Fifths Compromise reflected the Founding Fathers' attempt to reconcile conflicting interests and preserve the fragile unity of the newly formed United States. Nevertheless, it perpetuated the dehumanization of enslaved individuals by reinforcing the notion that they were only three-fifths of a person, a deeply troubling aspect of American history that would contribute to the later struggles for civil rights and equality.