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Overall, the three-fifths compromise had negative effects on vulnerable populations, such as slaves and indigenous peoples in the country. Black enslavement may have been thwarted instead of spreading without being allowed to spread, and less indigenous peoples may have disrupted their way of life through sweeping policies with tragic consequences. The three-fifths compromise allowed states to unite, but the price to pay was a harmful government policy that resisted for generations. Members of Congress in other regions tried to reduce voting rights in the South because blacks were denied the right to vote there, but a 1900 proposal to do so was never realized. Ironically, this is because the South had too much representation in Congress to allow for change. Would it be fair to impose a single burden without giving a reasonable advantage? The compromise recognized that slavery was a reality, but did not adequately address the ills of the institution. Indeed, the delegates adopted not only the three-fifths compromise, but also a constitutional clause that enslaves it, enslaved people who sought the freedom to “recover”. By characterizing them as refugees, this clause criminalized enslaved individuals who fled in search of their freedom.