[Verginius Rufus]

The three-fifths formula predates the Constitution. It was devised during the Confederation period to assess taxation. The idea was that a slave was less motivated to work than a free person, so the labor of five slaves was equivalent to the labor of three free persons.

The sentence in the Constitution which includes the three-fifths clause begins "Representatives and direct Taxs shall be apportioned among the several States..."

Slavery is an abomination, but who among us can say that if we had been born into a slaveholding family we would have freed our slaves? It's easy to assert our moral authority over the antebellum slaveholders, but would we have done so if it meant exchanging a comfortable life for destitution? And how to ensure that the freedmen and freedwomen would have a practical way to make a living?

[crz]

“Representatives and direct Taxs shall be apportioned among the several States...”

Correct. So why are you arguing the issue? It tipped the representation in the house towards the south.

“Representatives”