Republican posts video defending law that declared slaves 'three-fifths' of a person

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith (R-IN) appeared in an X video praising the so-called "Three-Fifths Compromise," established at the Constitutional Convention. The law determined that, for the purposes of representation in Congress and the Electoral College, slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person.

Beckwith posted the video in response to a debate over a Senate bill which was compared to the three-fifths law by Democrats. Sitting on the edge of his desk, the lieutenant governor said that the constitutional "compromise" was a "great move by the North."

"The 3/5 Compromise was not a pro-discrimination or a slave-driving compromise," said Beckwith. He claimed it "was actually just the opposite. Instead, he claimed it ensured "justice was equal for all people."

He said that it was a smart move by the North because they didn't want to give "The South" more power to enshrine slavery, since slaves weren't allowed to vote.

Senior CNN reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere quoted the National Constitution Center, which said the measure was "a purely mechanical and amoral calculation designed to produce harmony among conflicting interests."

Politico reporter Adam Wren noted Beckwith "calls himself a Christian nationalist."

See the video below or at the link here.

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