Question by miranda.: What constitutional protection to salvery did the constitution provide?
I need to know about slavery in the constitution, like..how did slavery encourage different interperations of the constitution and the nature of the union?
Best answer:
Answer by Chuck G
Volumes could be written on the topic. Sorry but you’re going to have to do your own research.
What do you think? Answer below!
Міша
July 27, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Personally, I’m puzzled, that the “ALL MEN [emphasis mine] are created equal” was not applied to the slaves from the beginning of the Republic.
There was nothing in the Constitution about slavery — nor is there anything in there about it today. Except the 14th Amendment, but even that is not at all obvious to anyone, but most judicious students of history.
SomeGuy
July 27, 2011 at 10:52 pm
None, really. It just didn’t count black folks or indentured servants as more than 3/5 of a person. The rest was left to the populations to decide. Some decided very poorly. Those that decided poorly ferociously defended their “property rights,” and because there wasn’t anything in the Constitution that specifically outlawed slavery they actually had a leg to stand on. It’s not unlike what is done now. If it doesn’t specifically say that something is illegal, then it’s not illegal. Never mind that it’s morally reprehensible. Along comes the 13th amendment. It put in writing something that everyone should have known at that time. Slavery is, and always was, wrong. Never again to be considered “right”.
So there you go. There are those that will take single sentence fragments, remove them from their actual context, apply a completely different context, and then argue that, “relatively speaking…” Don’t buy into that sh*t. What’s His Face is right, though. You do need to do your own (extensive) research. You won’t find a simple answer to this. You certainly won’t find it on Y!A.
Happy trails…
gomanyes
July 27, 2011 at 11:36 pm
The constitution said that the slave trade could not be abolished until 1808. Of course, by then there were enough slaves in the country.