Question

The practice of counting slaves as fractional "persons" for representation in the house of representatives is known as the _____ compromise.

Answer 1

This was the three-fifths compromise. It was a way for the southern states to remain on-board during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. By counting slaves for apportionment purposes, the southern states, with their much higher proportion of African persons, were able to keep a level of representation similar to that of the northern states.