Fox host Mark Levin defends the 3/5 compromise

Levin: “They didn't say Black people or African Americans are one third of a human, two thirds of a human, half -- that's not what happened”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Fox host Mark Levin defends the 3/5 compromise

Levin in suit in black and white cartoon, on a gray background

From the June 23, 2021, editing of Westwood One’s The Mark Levin Show

MARK LEVIN (HOST): It was the non-slave delegates -- excuse me, the delegates from non-slave states that pushed that language into our Constitution. Not because they believed Black people were property, and weren't 100% human, but because under the construct that was set up, the House of Representatives was based on the number of citizens.

And that's how each state got the number of representatives, just like today. And these delegates, non-slave northern states said, "Hold on a minute. You can't have these people as slaves and then count them as human beings in order to strengthen your representation and your numbers in the House of Representatives. We're not going to allow that."

So, that was the compromise. They didn't say Black people or African Americans are one third of a human, two thirds of a human, half -- that's not what happened. They weakened the representation of the southern slave holding states in the House of Representatives.