Bob is exactly right!  As I remember it, the Virginia delegates to
the Constitutional Convention, being good republicans, initially
preferred direct election of the President.  They were reminded of a
terrible disadvantage that they faced, that though Virginia was the
most populous state in the new Union, it did not have the largest
white population.  Hence, the 3/5 compromise gave VA and the
other slave states, more clout in Presidential elections as well as
extra seats in the House of Representatives, that would have been
withheld through any apportionment system that ignored the
enslaved population.
  Thus, the particular politics of the US Census in the South:
another topic of, I think, great importance.

Harold


Date sent:              Tue, 12 Feb 2002 09:26:57 -0700
From:                   Bob Huddleston <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:                Re: Elections
To:                     [log in to unmask]
Send reply to:          Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
        <[log in to unmask]>

> Well, without the additional electoral votes made possible by the 3/5
> compromise, John Adams would have been reelected in 1800 and the Virginia
> Dynasty would have been still born.
>
> Take care,
>
> Bob
>
> Judy and Bob Huddleston
> 10643 Sperry Street
> Northglenn, CO  80234-3612
> 303.451.6376  [log in to unmask]
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Diana Bennett
> Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 9:17 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Elections
>
> Dear Listers:
>
> Thanks for all the feedback on succession. Now I would like some
> comments on "Slaves became important around election time. The
> legislature representing the South was elected by using three fifths of
> the slave population." It sounds like mud slinging such as we've had in in
> the late 1900's, but is this possible?
>
> Diana Bennett
>
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Harold S. Forsythe
Assistant Professor History
Director:  Black Studies
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06430-5195
(203) 254-4000  x2379

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