Quote:
Originally Posted by Ch1town
Unless you or your family has experienced this scenario, you probably have no idea. Get it?
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There are plenty of us on the paler side of the equation who would love to have an honest discussion on this issue. I know you don't mean it this way, but sometimes comments like this can lead us to think we're supposed to just sit and listen. That's not a race discussion, it's a lecture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ch1town
Even though the letter specifically addressed the Sweet Sixteen, we will still go with your numbers:
3 games
9 slots (1 Black per game)
1/3
Now where have I heard this 1/3 reasoning before? It wasn’t too fair back then either.
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Just for some historical perspective on this.
First of all, it was 3/5ths, not 1/3rd.
Second of all, it was, believe it or not, beneficial to the African Americans at the time. Southern leaders wanted to have the benefits of counting their slaves for census purposes without having to give them the right to vote. Northerners felt that was unfair (there's that stinking word again), since it would essentially increase the value of a southerner's vote for president and the House of Representatives.
To have granted full credit for the census would have tipped the balance of power towards the slave states and the abominable practice would have lasted longer. While it sounds disgusting to all of us to think of any person as having only 3/5 of the value of his neighbor, we should keep in mind the practical effects of this particular clause.