State representation was(and is) based on the population of a given state. Origionally, that
population count did not include
African Americans.
Southern slave owning states were upset by this, and wanted more
representation. This brought about the Three Fifths Compromise. Under this, a
black man was counted as three fifths of a
white man in terms of
state representation.
While eating in a cheap
pizza buffet in
Knoxville which doesn't seem to put any sauce on their pizzas, I was discussing this matter with two friends. One of them,
Robert, is
mixed (half black, half white). We were bored, so we decided to do some math. Three fifths of his black half would make 30%, which, when added to his already existing 50% white half will bring us to the conclusion that Robert counts as 80% of a white person according to the Three Fifths Compromise, and according to a scribbling on our scratch sheet, "that's too bad cause
white people suck"!
(Disclaimer: 2'nd paragraph
not to be taken seriously. I hope to expand upon the factual portion of this node at a later date.)