IBLC condemns Lt. Gov.’s whitewashed ‘history lesson’ on the 3/5 Compromise

Last week, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith shared a video to his social media pages including incorrect information on the 3/5 Compromise following a member of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) mentioning the political move on the Senate floor. Beckwith claimed the 3/5 Compromise was a tool used by the North in the Civil War to eradicate slavery.

 State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago), chair of the IBLC, issued the following statement in response:

"The 3/5 Compromise was created during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, determining that five enslaved Black people in the South would count as three free whites. Effectively, the 3/5 Compromise gave the South more political power, because enslaved African Americans were counted towards Southern representation without having any rights themselves and gave Southern states more electoral college votes. With the South paying a greater share of federal taxes, the 3/5 Compromise emboldened Southern slaveowners to argue that this abhorrent practice grew the American economy and therefore justified slavery. To argue that the 3/5 Compromise was the North's attempt at playing 'the long game' to undermine the South is not just a gross misunderstanding of history, it's a purposeful whitewashing of it for political gain and media attention.

"To this day, the ghost of the 3/5 Compromise still haunts Black Americans. From restrictions on voting rights to implicit bias in health care to an unjust justice system, too many people in power still view Black Americans as 'less-than.' We in the IBLC work every day to ensure that Black Hoosiers are given equal opportunities and equal protections under the law. More than that, we work to ensure that all Hoosiers have a high quality of life and an equal chance at achieving the American Dream.

"There is no shortage of work that needs to be done to make Indiana – and our nation – a stronger, more just place to live. As chair of the IBLC, I'm calling on my fellow elected officials to prioritize the needs of all Hoosiers over cheap media ploys and rage bait. Our constituents deserve better."