What impact did the Three-Fifths Compromise have on representation and taxation in the early United States?

• A. Increased representation for slaveholding states in the House and allocated them a proportionate share of tax burdens, counting slaves as three-fifths.
• B. Decreased representation for slaveholding states.
• C. Gave slaves full personhood for representation.
• D. Had no impact on representation or taxation.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is how population counts for both representation in the House and federal taxes were decided. The Three-Fifths Compromise set that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person for those purposes. This meant slaveholding states gained representation based on a larger overall population than if enslaved people were counted as zero, but they did not gain as much as if enslaved people were counted as full persons. It also tied tax burdens to that same three-fifths count. So the measure did affect both representation and taxation, giving slaveholding states more influence and a proportionate tax base than if enslaved people weren’t counted at all. It did not grant slaves personhood, nor did it leave representation or taxation unchanged.