The Three-Fifths Compromise was a key agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which addressed the issue of how to count slaves in determining a state's population for representation and taxation purposes. The South feared certain tax policies during the negotiations that eventually led to the compromise. Some of these policies include:
- Taxes based on population: The South feared that if taxes were based solely on a state's population, including slaves, they would have to pay a disproportionately large share of taxes compared to the North, which had a smaller slave population. The South argued that slaves should not be counted as full persons for taxation purposes since they were not considered citizens.
- Taxes on exports: The South relied heavily on exports of agricultural products, such as tobacco, rice, and cotton. They feared that the North would impose taxes on these exports, which would hurt their economy and make their products less competitive.
- Import tariffs: The North wanted to impose high tariffs on imported goods to protect their own industries from foreign competition. However, the South opposed these tariffs since they relied on imported goods for their own economic development.
Overall, the South was concerned with maintaining their economic and political power in the new United States, and the Three-Fifths Compromise was a way to address their fears and concerns. By counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes, the South was able to maintain a larger representation in Congress and pay less in taxes than they would have otherwise.