The 3/5ths Compromise counted enslaved people for representation in which part of government?

• A. Taxation only
• B. Presidential electors
• C. Representation in the House
• D. Suffrage

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how population determines representation in the House of Representatives. The Three-Fifths Compromise said that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of apportioning seats in the House (and also for taxes). Because the House is the body whose size changes with population, this counting directly affected how many representatives a state could send to Congress. By counting enslaved people at a fraction, slaveholding states gained more representation in the House than they would have if enslaved people were counted as full persons, but not as much as if they were counted as whole people.

Presidential electors are tied to the total number of representatives plus senators, so the impact is indirect, and suffrage is about who can vote, not how population is counted for representation. So the part of government impacted by this counting for representation is the House of Representatives.