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Did James Madison Write The 3 5 Compromise ?
The 3/5 compromise was suggested by James Wilson and Roger Sherman in 1787 during the Philadelphia Convention. They proposed three-fifths of slaves should be counted as persons for representation in the House and Electoral College, and also to record the number for tax distribution. |
At that time slaves were considered as property, or less than humans. So, when this compromise was put forth the states which were opposed to slavery did not want, it as that would make the states with slaves more powerful and slavery would have increased. The states that supported slavery wanted the 3/5 compromise as that meant more representation for them in Electoral College and the House as slaves did not have voting rights.
However, it was thanks to James Madison that the ratio of 3/5 was fixed. He had earlier proposed a 3/5 compromise which Congress accepted but the establishment of the compromise failed as it did not get the required number of states for approval. However, his ratio was better than the 1/2 suggested by Benjamin Harrison of Virginia and the 3/4 put forth by several New Englanders. The 3/5 ratio is also called the Federal ratio. There is no reasoning behind the ratio as it was only a compromise from the 1/2 and 3/4.
The Southern masters were for the 3/5 as they intended to treat their slaves as property in reality yet have them considered as people so that they could enjoy more national power and influence. Even though the South benefited by the compromise, they ended up paying more in terms of taxes.
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