Glenn Beck Defends Founding Fathers' Decision to Count African-Americans as Three-Fifths of a Person

[StarfarerBill]

by Alex Seitz-Wald, Think Progress

"BECK: That is a common misconception. … Do you know who wanted slaves to be counted as a full person? … Slave owners. … The reason why they wanted that is because of the balance of power. The South could control the numbers in Congress. Their representation would go through the roof. … That’s why, in the Constitution, African-Americans were deemed three-fifths people, because the Founders wanted to end slavery and they knew if the South could count slaves as full individuals you would never get the control to be able to abolish it."

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/144599/glenn_beck_defends_founding_fathers%27_decision_to_count_african-americans_as_three-fifths_of_a_person/

[Bacchus39]

1. its correct that the South wanted slaves to be counted while the North

did not want them counted at all because of Congressional representation based on population.

[StarfarerBill]

2. Would that have mattered?

Even if African-Americans were considered actual people, they in all likelihood wouldn't have been given citizenship; aren't only citizens counted in the census, and thus for representation?

[TankLV]

3. Except that all those votes would have NOT gone to the slaves.

Actually, beck is correct on this one...unfortunately...

[Bacchus39]

4. representation is apportioned by population, not citizenship I believe

thats why the South wanted slaves to be counted.

[StarfarerBill]

6. You're right; I should have done my homework.

"The U.S. Constitution mandates us (the Census) to count everyone, including both citizens and non-citizens. We’ve followed this mandate, since the first census in 1790. The Framers of the Constitution made it clear they wanted “all inhabitants” of the country counted in the U.S. Census, and every Presidential Administration since that time that has overseen a Census has interpreted the Constitution and the laws require everyone be counted."

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/about/whole.php

[BurtWorm]

5. Some of the founders wanted to end slavery, but hardly all of them did.

Hardly even half of them did, which is how they wound up with that ridiculous three-fifth of a person rule. Northerners asked why, if southerners could count their slaves, they couldn't count their cows. If the anti-slavery forces had been strong enough, there would be no three-fifths person rule. Slaves would not have been counted. Period.

It was understood that southerners did not really consider their slaves full persons, but they did want to count them that way to enhance their own political power and make it that much more difficult for the Congress to end slavery. They had enough power to force the north to compromise and postpone abolition indefinitely.

In other words, Beck is a fucking idiot. Not even a three-fifth wit.

[HopeHoops]

7. Overt racism on FOX??? GASP! Who would EVER expect THAT?

:sarcasm: