Black Electoral College in the south

[Ahab]

Before the American civil war, black slaves were counted in the Electoral College in each southern state, but each slave was counted as a 3/5 man.
My question is why did the south counted the slaves at all, and why didn't they counted them as a whole person in order to get more Electors?

 

[Superman]

The North wouldn't let them. It was either all slaves are freed or they get no votes for slaves.

 

[yournamerandomnumbers]

More specifically, the South wanted slaves counted for population purposes, not for more EC votes, but so they could have more Representatives in Congress. However, the North said that if slaves were counted, then the South was admitting the slaves were human and that they were going against everything the Republic stood for. So the South came up with the 3/5 compromise to get slaves counted as population (So they could have more then like 10 representatives total), without having to admit they were just as human as anyone else. Racism in action!

 

[Alamo]

My question is why did the south counted the slaves at all, and why didn't they counted them as a whole person in order to get more Electors?

It was a compromise - the southern states wanted slaves counted as full people for census purposes. Northern states said that they weren't truly being represented and wanted them to not be counted at all, as it would encourage the slave trade. Counting slaves as 3/5s of a person was a way of "splitting the baby", so to speak.

 

[Ahab]

Thank you all for your answers, that was really helpfull

 

[mowque]

Thank you all for your answers, that was really helpfull

One of the uglier horse-trades in American history.

 

[CaliBoy1990]

More specifically, the South wanted slaves counted for population purposes, not for more EC votes, but so they could have more Representatives in Congress.

That much is true.

However, the North said that if slaves were counted, then the South was admitting the slaves were human and that they were going against everything the Republic stood for.

I don't think so, TBH. Some more radical Southerners probably would have opposed it for that reason, but few, if any, Northerners. In fact, all the evidence says that about the only reason most Northerners did that is because they feared that it would help the pro-slavery people, and that many sincerely believed that people who weren't free citizens shouldn't be counted at all.