What was the compromise that counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes?

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a pivotal agreement during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that addressed the contentious issue of how enslaved people would be counted for the purposes of taxation and representation in Congress. This compromise established that, for every five enslaved individuals, three would be counted as part of the state's population.

This agreement was crucial because it balanced the interests of southern states, which had large enslaved populations and wanted to maximize their representation in the House of Representatives, with those of northern states, where the population of enslaved people was significantly lower. By counting enslaved individuals as three-fifths of a person, it provided a formula that would influence the apportionment of congressional seats and the distribution of taxes among the states.

The Great Compromise, although significant, primarily dealt with the structure of Congress, while the New Jersey Plan and Virginia Plan proposed different frameworks for the legislature without addressing the issue of enslaved people's representation. Hence, the Three-Fifths Compromise directly relates to the representation of enslaved individuals, making it the correct and relevant choice in this context.