How did the inhumane three-fifths formula came about?

The three-fifths formula originated during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 as a compromise between Northern and Southern states regarding representation and taxation. Southern states wanted enslaved individuals counted fully to increase their political power, while Northern states opposed this, as enslaved people could not vote. The compromise stipulated that each enslaved person would be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of congressional representation and taxation, entrenching the dehumanization of enslaved individuals in U.S. law. This formula reflected and reinforced the systemic inequalities of the time.