What is a "three-fifths" compromise?

Answer by  Feasel (1766)

It was a way to let African Americans vote in a not so equal America. Basically for every 5 votes only 3 of those votes counted whereas White Male voters got 5 out of 5 votes

Answer by  CarolynOsborne (2804)

When the framers of the US Constitution tried to figure out how to count a state's population to determine the number of representatives for the House of Representatives, they had to compromise about counting slaves. Northerners didn't want slaves to count at all and slave holders wanted them to count. They compromised and a slave was 3/5ths of a person.