Three-Fifths: The Nation's Governing System

Since the genesis of the United States, many centuries ago, the establishment of power and the very people who benefited from it were white. A variation of color was not apparent in those who defined freedom, and neither was the goal to obtain it. Thomas Jefferson who wrote in the declaration of independence “...all men are created equal...” owned slaves, and did so until his death. Thomas Jefferson did not need to recognize race or color when stating that “all men are equal” because there was no need. White people composed the vast majority of the demographic in 1776, and were the very people rightfully entitled to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” A minority, or non-white was not regarded, as a non-white was not even considered full human. Evidence of such statement can be seen when in October 5th, 1787, the 4 three-fifths compromise …show more content…
Three-fifths was the conclusion the forerunners of the United State’s governing system decided, that three-fifths was all a slave was worth as a human. This degradation, hypocrisy, and condescending ideology in American history can best be examined by Armitage (2007) “If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing resolutions of independency with the one hand, and with the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves” (p.77) A bold statement, yet an eerie truth most history textbooks refrain from noting. As for the rest of the population (the non-whites) were at the dispense of the elites, the rulers, captains, and leaders set to make the United States the model for democracy. But how well did youthful America do in keeping the definition of “democracy” genuine? Provided, in 1758 Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, promised that any slave who left his master (an American Revolutionary) to fight for the