Florida Civic Literacy Practice Exam

How did the U.S. Constitution address the issue of representation for slave and free states?

1. The Missouri Compromise

2. The Great Compromise

3. The Three-Fifths Compromise

4. The Delaware Compromise

The correct answer is: The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a pivotal agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that addressed the contentious issue of how representation would be apportioned among the states, particularly with regards to the population of enslaved individuals. Under this compromise, it was determined that for purposes of representation in Congress, every five enslaved persons would be counted as three individuals. This arrangement aimed to balance the interests of slaveholding states, which wanted to maximize their representation by counting enslaved people, and free states, which opposed this practice since enslaved people could not vote or enjoy the same rights as free citizens. This compromise was significant because it reflected the broader societal tensions between different regions and ideologies regarding slavery and representation. While it did not resolve these tensions fully, it helped enable the Constitution to gain enough support from both Northern and Southern states to be ratified. The other options, while they relate to compromises and negotiation concerning slavery and representation, do not specifically address how the U.S. Constitution directly measured representation from both slave and free states.