Three-fifths compromise is the agreement between delegates that three-fifths of the slave people will be included for deciding straight taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a means to obtain southern aid for a new structure of government. Southern states had desired representation distributed by population; after the Virginia Plan was rejected, the Three-Fifths Compromise appeared to ensure the South would be well represented in the House of Representatives and have unbalanced power in electing Presidents.