Babel - Bringing Teachers Together

The Three Fifth's Compromise is a simple enough topic. You could read about it, demonstrate how to count 3/5's of a slave, and be done with it.

Or, you could take advantage of this perfect opportunity to incorporate numeracy and statistics into the Social Studies classroom. This is a good example for students of how the social sciences and math intersect.

This lesson should span two 43 minute periods or one block period. First, students will review what the three fifth's compromise is. Then, they will search for population statistics for the United States in 1790.

With those statistics, the students will calculate the number of Representatives each state would have with and without the compromise. Finally, the students will graph this information and use it to analyze the political impact of the compromise.

Do Now and Introduction

As students enter the classroom, they answer the question - "What is the Three Fifth's Compromise? If a state has 100,000 free people and 50,000 slaves, what is its population for determining representation?"

Discuss student responses and ensure that all students know what the Compromise actually said. Demonstrate the math on the board and calculate the population of the hypothetical state (Answer: 130,000).

Inform the students that they will be researching population statistics in the early United States and calculating how many Representatives each state got thanks to the Three Fifths Compromise.

Activity

Students should break up into pairs and get on computers or laptops. If you don't have access to computers, make a copy of the 1790 Census data for your students.

Instruct students to find population totals from the 1790 Census. They should fill in the first two columns of their data sheets - Total Population and Slave Population. From those two columns, they should be able to calculate the third column - Free Population.

Remind students that there are many less than useful sites out there. "Census" searches will often return information for genealogy. They may also find complete copies of the census - which give county by county totals instead of state-wide summaries.

If students haven't found an appropriate source of information about fifteen minutes, direct them to the University of Virginia site (Historical Census Data for 1790).

Step Two - Calculate Representation

Once students have completed the basic population data, they should begin to calculate the number of Representatives that each state got. In the appropriate columns of the chart, the students should record the number of Representatives that the state would have a) with the Compromise, b) if there was no Compromise (i.e. slaves don't count at all), and c) extra (the # gained because of the Compromise).

At this point in time, state received one Representative for every 30,000 people. With this piece of information and knowledge of what the Three Fifths Compromise did, the students should be able to calculate the number of Representatives.

If the students are having trouble, you can give them the basic formula. However, it would be better if they discovered the formula on their own. The Number of Representatives with the Compromise = ((Free Population) + (3/5 * Slave Population) / 30,000.

Step Three - Create a Bar Graph

With these statistics in hand, the students are ready to make some graphs.

Each student should make a bar graph that represents the last three columns of the data sheet - i.e. the number of Representatives that each state had.

If your students are adept at making graphs, you can allow them to come up with a format on their own. The only basic requirement is that it includes all three situations - # of Reps with the Compromise, # of Reps without the Compromise, and the # of Reps gained. The states should also be divided into Northern and Southern states - to make it easier to visually compare the two groups.

If your students are having trouble, draw a sample graph on the board. One way to graph this data is with a simple bar graph. Each state gets one bar, and that bar is sub-divided to show the # of Reps without the Compromise and the # of Reps gained. The entire bar shows the total number of Representatives that a state had.

Step Four - Analyze the Data

Finally, the students are ready to analyze the data. In partners or small groups, they should use the data sheet and bar graph to answer the following questions.

• What is the general formula for calculating the number of Representatives a state receives with the Three Fifth's Compromise?
• Is there a trend in the graph? Did one group of states gain more than another?
• Which section has more power if there was no Compromise? Which has more power with the Compromise?
• What would the balance of power look like if each slave was counted in full?
• Was the Three Fifth's Compromise a good idea? Would you have voted for it?

Once the students have had ample time to discuss these questions (10-20 minutes), discuss them together as a class.

Students should be able to identify the trend that the Southern states got far more votes from the Compromise than the North. They should also realize that without the Compromise, the North would have had more power. The Compromise created relative parity in Congress - but if each slave was counted in full, the South would have had more votes.

Further Assignments and Assessment

This lesson can easily be wrapped up by the end discussion.

However, you can extend it with more thorough take home assignments. You might have students write a speech to present before Congress in which they argue for or against the proposed Compromise. During this speech, the student would have to refer to the graph that he or she made in class.

You could also have students write a news analysis article that analyzes the impact of the Three Fifths Compromise and uses the charts to support its point. The article should be typed, and the graphs should be created in a spreadsheet program (like Excel).