Since slaves had no voice whatever in the selection of Southern Congressman, counting the slave population at full strength would only have give white Southerners a stronger pro-slavery contingent in Congress. Scoring points today and being serious are two very different things. It should also be noted that the Constitution’s distinction in counting people for representation in Congress was between slave and free, not black and white. Free blacks were counted the same as whites—and free blacks existed before the Constitution existed.
Thomas Sowell, Black Rednecks and White Liberals, pg.155
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