Via Census.gov
The legacy of the “3/5ths Compromise” in the U.S. Constitution is often misunderstood.
Counting enslaved people was what SLAVERS wanted. The higher a state’s population, the more power it got in Congress. So if enslaved people were counted, slave OWNERS got more power.
Today, it’s the opposite - we need to be counted, but now they don’t want us to be.
Political trickery has always been used against us. Even after we achieved freedom, they still created a bunch of legal loopholes to keep us from being represented fairly in Congress.
And unfortunately it hasn’t stopped.
The 3/5ths compromise was an inhumane, problematic way to try and make sure the Census count was accurate. We still do a national Census every 10 years - with the next one coming up in 2020.
If we’re not careful, we could be undercounted, and underrepresented, AGAIN.
The Census tends to OVER count white people and UNDER count us, so they get more federal resources. And this year could be the worst undercount of Black people in 30 years according to some reports!
One of the only ways we can make sure we’re fairly represented at a very basic level is to fill out the 2020 Census. Make sure you know all the facts and get counted!