Debate Over Slavery During The Constitutional Convention

145 Words1 Pages
Another major debate during the Constitutional Convention was whether or not the slaves should count towards representation in Congress. While most Northern states wanted to abolish slavery completely, the South wanted them to count towards representation, to allow them for more representatives. The North argued that if slaves could not vote, they should not count, while the South debated against this. In the end, the Three Fifths Compromise was suggested and accepted. This Compromise stated that each slave would count as three-fifths of a free white male. With this in mind, it would mean that every 500 slaves would equal 300 free white men. Another debate over slavery was whether or not it should completely be abolished. Many Northern states