Founding Documents: The Constitution
Civics 101
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The Three-Fist Compromise
The Three-Fist Compromise was essentially one of the pro-slavery clauses of the Constitution. Southerners wanted all of their slaves to be counted in the apportionment, because places like South Carolina and Georgia had very, very large slave populations. Northerners made the argument that slaves were livestock, just like horses or oxen. So why would you count your slaves? The South said, no, these are people. They're human beings. And so what if they can't vote? Women can't vote, but they're counted.
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