One aspect of the Pro/Anti slavery dispute that doesn't seem to get much attention is the the "six-tenths" rule, established back in 1781. It said that a slave's vote was equal to that of 0.6 times that of a free man. The votes, however, were cast by the slaveholder. As a result, a slaveholder who owned ten slaves got seven votes in national elections.

One effect of emancipation would be the effective disenfranchising of the slaveholding states of the south.