Isabella Carter
The topic of slavery and the role of the Founding Fathers in perpetuating or abolishing it is a complex one. While the word slave does not appear in the Constitution, the document laid the foundation for several protections for slavery, including the Three-Fifths Compromise, which gave southern states extra representation in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College. Of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, about 25 owned slaves, and many of the framers had moral qualms about slavery. The Founding Fathers' views on slavery were influenced by the fact that they were born into a slaveholding society where the morality of owning slaves was rarely questioned. While some of the Founding Fathers, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, owned numerous slaves, others, like Benjamin Franklin, only owned a few early in their lives, and some, like Alexander Hamilton, married into large slave-owning families. Despite their differing levels of involvement in slavery, all of the major Founding Fathers expressed a wish at some point to see the institution gradually abolished.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of framers of the constitution | 55 |
| Number of framers who owned slaves | 25 (according to Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History); 17 (according to Constitutional Rights Foundation) |
| Number of slaves owned by framers | 1400 |
| Names of framers who owned slaves | James Madison, Richard Bassett, John Blair, William Blount, Pierce Butler, Daniel Carroll, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Rutledge, Richard Dobbs Spaight, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton |
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What You'll Learn
Of the 55 delegates, 25 owned slaves
The United States Constitution, which was ratified in 1788, has been described as "defective from the start" by Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court. Marshall's criticism is based on the omission of a majority of Americans from the phrase "We the People." This critique is especially relevant when considering the fact that many of the framers of the Constitution were slave owners.
Out of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, about 25 of them owned slaves. This included prominent figures such as George Washington, who owned hundreds of slaves, and James Madison, who has been identified as an enslaver by the National Park Service. Other slave-owning delegates included Richard Bassett, John Blair, William Blount, Pierce Butler, Daniel Carroll, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Rutledge, and Richard Dobbs Spaight, and Thomas Jefferson.
The issue of slavery proved to be a challenging one for the Founding Fathers. While some colonies supported slavery, others opposed it. The institution of slavery was deeply rooted in the colonies, and the Founding Fathers had been born into a slaveholding society where the morality of owning slaves was rarely questioned. Despite this, many of them expressed a desire to see slavery gradually abolished, and some, like Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, became members of anti-slavery societies.
The framers of the Constitution consciously avoided using the word "slave" in the document, recognizing that it would tarnish its principles. However, they made several concessions to protect slavery, including the Three-Fifths Clause, which gave the South extra representation in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College based on their slave population. These protections laid the foundation for future conflicts, as the framers essentially prioritized the support of southern delegates over the moral imperative to abolish slavery.
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The Three-Fifths Compromise gave slave states more representation
The Three-Fifths Compromise, proposed by James Madison, counted three-fifths of each state's slave population towards that state's total population. This was to determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the number of electoral votes for each state, and the amount of tax money owed by the states. This compromise gave the Southern states more power in the House of Representatives relative to the Northern states. It also gave slaveholders greater power in Southern legislatures.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was reached after a contentious debate between Northern and Southern delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Northern delegates argued that only voters should be counted when determining representation, while Southern delegates countered that slaves counted just as much as voters. The compromise, which counted "all other persons" as only three-fifths of their actual numbers, reduced the representation of the slave states relative to earlier proposals but improved it over the Northern position.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was tied to taxation in the same ratio, reducing the tax burden on the slave states. This compromise also provided additional representation in the House of Representatives for slave states compared to free states if representation was based on the non-slave population. The word "slave" was consciously avoided in the Constitution, but slavery received important protections, including the notorious three-fifths clause.
The framers of the Constitution, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and George Mason, owned slaves. About 25 of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention were slave owners, and many harbored moral qualms about slavery. Some framers, such as Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, became members of anti-slavery societies. The framers believed that concessions on slavery were necessary to gain the support of Southern delegates for a strong central government. However, by sidestepping the slavery issue, they laid the foundation for future conflict. Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice, criticized the framers for leaving out a majority of Americans when they wrote "We the People."
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The Constitution protected slavery and the slave trade
The Constitution of the United States was drafted by 55 delegates, of whom about 25 owned slaves. Many of the framers had moral qualms about slavery, but they believed that concessions on slavery were necessary to secure the support of southern delegates for a strong central government. As a result, the Constitution protected slavery and the slave trade in several ways.
Firstly, the Constitution prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years. This provision, known as the Importation Clause or the Slave Trade Clause, was included to prevent conflict with the southern states, which relied heavily on slavery and would have refused to join the Union if the Constitution restricted the slave trade. While some argued that this clause was intended to eventually end the slave trade by setting a deadline for its abolition, it nevertheless protected the slave trade and, by extension, slavery itself for two decades.
Secondly, the Constitution included the Three-Fifths Clause, which counted three-fifths of a state's slave population when apportioning representation. This gave the Southern states, which had significant slave populations, extra representation in the House of Representatives and extra votes in the Electoral College. This clause effectively gave more political power to states that supported slavery, and it has been criticised for entrenching racial inequality into the political system.
Thirdly, the Constitution included a fugitive slave clause, which required the return of runaway slaves to their owners. This clause, found in Article IV, Section 2, Clause 2, states that "no person held to service or labour in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labour, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labour may be due." This clause made it difficult for slaves to escape their enslavement and reinforced the power of slave owners.
Finally, the Constitution gave the federal government the power to put down domestic rebellions, including slave insurrections. This provision ensured that any resistance or uprising by enslaved people could be swiftly suppressed, further protecting the institution of slavery.
In conclusion, despite the moral qualms of some of its framers, the Constitution of the United States included several provisions that protected slavery and the slave trade. These protections were made in the interest of maintaining a united nation and securing support for a strong central government. However, they ultimately laid the foundation for future conflict, including the Civil War, and contributed to the tragic legacy of slavery in America.
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Many framers had moral qualms about slavery
The Constitution of the United States is a document that has been described as "defective from the start" by Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court. Marshall's criticism was that the document's framers left out a majority of Americans when they wrote the phrase "We the People". While some members of the Constitutional Convention did voice objections to slavery, they ultimately consented to a document that laid the foundation for tragic events.
Of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, about 25 owned slaves. However, many framers harbored moral qualms about slavery. Some, including Benjamin Franklin (a former slaveholder) and Alexander Hamilton (born in a slave colony in the British West Indies), became members of anti-slavery societies. Luther Martin of Maryland, a slaveholder, said that the slave trade should be subject to federal regulation since the entire nation would be responsible for suppressing slave revolts. He also considered the slave trade contrary to America's republican ideals, stating that it was "inconsistent with the principles of the Revolution" and "dishonorable to the American character to have such a feature in the constitution". A Virginia delegate, George Mason, who owned hundreds of slaves, spoke out against slavery, saying:
> Slavery discourages arts and manufactures. The poor despise labor when performed by slaves.
Mason also believed that slavery corrupted slaveholders and threatened the country with divine punishment: "Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant. They bring the judgment of heaven on a country." The framers of the Constitution believed that concessions on slavery were the price for the support of southern delegates for a strong central government. They were convinced that if the Constitution restricted the slave trade, South Carolina and Georgia would refuse to join the Union.
The word "slave" does not appear in the Constitution, as the framers consciously avoided it, recognizing that it would sully the document. They believed that slavery was morally wrong and would die out, and they did not want that permanent moral stain on the document. Abraham Lincoln argued that the framers avoided any specific mention of slavery because they did not want the enduring Constitution to suggest that "such a thing as negro slavery had ever existed among us". Frederick Douglass noted that the framers purposefully avoided the mention of slavery in the Constitution. He also argued that the Importation Clause, which prevented Congress from banning the slave trade for 20 years, was intended to end the trade in humans, and indeed, on January 1, 1808, President Thomas Jefferson signed a bill that went into effect to do just that.
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George Washington owned slaves but later freed them
The US Constitution was drafted by 55 delegates, of whom about 25 owned slaves. George Washington, who was among the delegates, was a slave owner. He inherited his first ten slaves at the age of 11 when his father passed away in 1743. Washington's slaves worked on his plantation, contributing to his wealth and high social standing.
Washington's attitude towards slavery evolved over time. During the Revolutionary War, he became increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of owning other human beings. He supported abolition in theory but never put it into practice. In his will, Washington freed one slave immediately, William Lee, and stipulated that the remaining 123 slaves would be freed upon his wife Martha's death. However, Washington's complicated relationship with slavery is evident in his pursuit of Ona Judge, a runaway slave who escaped to freedom in 1796. Washington spent the last three years of his life attempting to force her to return.
After Washington's death, Martha freed William Lee, the only slave her husband had expressly granted freedom to in his will. The remaining slaves were freed about a year later, after Martha became concerned about potential plots against her. Washington's complicated legacy regarding slavery highlights the challenges faced by individuals striving to rise above the norms of their time and society.
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Frequently asked questions
Of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, about 25 owned slaves.
Yes, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin were all slave owners.
Yes, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton were both members of anti-slavery societies.
