How did the U.S. Constitution resolve the dispute between slave and free states over representation?

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a pivotal solution to the dispute between slave and free states regarding how enslaved individuals would be counted for the purposes of representation in Congress. This compromise emerged during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and was a critical factor in the formation of the U.S. Constitution.

Specifically, the Three-Fifths Compromise stipulated that for every five enslaved persons, three would be counted when apportioning representation in the House of Representatives and for the purposes of taxation. This formula aimed to balance the interests of Southern states, which had large enslaved populations and thereby desired more representation, and Northern states, which had fewer slaves and were opposed to counting them fully as part of the population for representation purposes. This compromise was essential in forging a consensus among the states and allowed the Constitution to be ratified.

The other options, while relevant to the broader context of American history and governance, do not address the specific issue of representation as directly as the Three-Fifths Compromise. The Missouri Compromise pertained to the expansion of slavery into new territories; the Commerce Clause relates to the regulation of trade; and the Supremacy Clause establishes the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. None of these directly resolved