Which compromise determined how slaves would be counted for taxation and representation?

The Three-Fifths Compromise is the correct answer as it addressed the contentious issue of how enslaved individuals would be counted in the population for the purposes of both taxation and representation in Congress during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. This compromise established that each enslaved person would be counted as three-fifths of a person when apportioning representation and taxation among the states.

The compromise was significant because it aimed to balance the interests of both Northern and Southern states. Southern states, which had larger enslaved populations, wanted these individuals to be fully counted for representation in the House of Representatives, which would increase their political power. Conversely, the Northern states, which had fewer enslaved individuals, argued that if these individuals were to be counted for representation, they should also be included for taxation purposes. The Three-Fifths Compromise resolved this debate by determining that enslavement would count for only a fraction of a person, thus giving Southern states some additional representation without fully acknowledging enslaved individuals as citizens.

This decision had long-lasting implications for American society and politics, reflecting the deep divisions over slavery that would eventually contribute to the Civil War.