Jonah Patel
The US Constitution, despite never mentioning the word 'slave', protected and institutionalised slavery. The document's text contains several pro-slavery clauses, including the notorious three-fifths clause, which counted three-fifths of a state's slave population when apportioning representation. This gave the South extra representation in the House of Representatives and extra votes in the Electoral College.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Increased political representation for slave owners and slave states | The Apportionment Clause, Article I, Section 2, added three-fifths of "all other Persons" (slaves) to the number of free inhabitants of a state for purposes of representation |
| Limited congressional power to regulate the international slave trade | Article I, Section 9, prohibited Congress from regulating the international slave trade until 1808, 21 years after ratification of the Constitution |
| Protected the rights of slave owners to recapture their escaped slaves | Article 4, Section 2, contains the "fugitive slave clause", which required that an escaped slave be returned to their owner |
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What You'll Learn
- The Apportionment Clause, Article I, Section 2, added three-fifths of slaves to the number of free inhabitants of a state for purposes of representation
- The Three-Fifths Compromise gave the South extra representation in the House of Representatives and extra votes in the Electoral College
- The Constitution prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years
- The Fugitive Slave Clause required the return of runaway slaves to their owners
- The slave import limitation prohibited Congress from regulating the international slave trade until 1808
The Apportionment Clause, Article I, Section 2, added three-fifths of slaves to the number of free inhabitants of a state for purposes of representation
The Constitution's text contains several proslavery clauses. The Apportionment Clause is one of them. The clause states that for purposes of representation in Congress, enslaved black people in a state would be counted as three-fifths of the number of white inhabitants of that state. This gave the South extra representation in the House of Representatives and extra votes in the Electoral College.
The Constitution also protected slavery by increasing political representation for slave owners and slave states. It did this by promising increased political representation while keeping unregulated the flow of slaves through the international slave trade for 21 years. The Constitution also limited, stringently though temporarily, congressional power to regulate the international slave trade.
The Constitution's biggest flaw was in protecting the institution of slavery. Many constitutional provisions did this. The Constitution was intentionally written in broad, open-textured language. It was meant to be a living document, with each generation giving meaning to its words.
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The Three-Fifths Compromise gave the South extra representation in the House of Representatives and extra votes in the Electoral College
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a clause in the US Constitution that counted three-fifths of a state's slave population when apportioning representation. This gave the South extra representation in the House of Representatives and extra votes in the Electoral College.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between the North and the South. The North wanted to count slaves as people when determining representation, while the South wanted to count them as property. The compromise was that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted. This gave the South more representation than if slaves were not counted at all, but less representation than if they were counted as whole people.
The Three-Fifths Compromise had a significant impact on the political landscape of the United States. It gave the South more power in Congress and in presidential elections. This extra power was used to protect the institution of slavery and promote slave ownership. The Three-Fifths Compromise also had the effect of devaluing the humanity of enslaved people, by counting them as three-fifths of a person.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was not the only way that the Constitution protected slavery. The Constitution also prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years and contained a fugitive slave clause that required the return of runaway slaves to their owners. The Constitution also promoted slave ownership by promising increased political representation while keeping the flow of slaves through the international slave trade unregulated for 21 years.
The Constitution's protection of slavery was a significant flaw that ultimately led to the Civil War. It took constitutional amendments and a war to eliminate slavery in the United States. The Reconstruction amendments abolished slavery and required equal protection of the laws, but they did not change the game of white domination itself.
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The Constitution prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years
The Constitution of the United States was written in such a way that it protected and promoted slavery. The document's text contains several pro-slavery clauses, including the Apportionment Clause, Article I, Section 2, which added three-fifths of "all other Persons" (i.e. slaves) to the number of free inhabitants of a state for purposes of representation. This clause, by boosting the number of representatives in Congress for the slave states, guaranteed political protection for slavery. The same three-fifths ratio boosted the representation of slave states in the Electoral College during presidential elections.
The Constitution also prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years. Article I, Section 9, prohibited Congress from regulating the international slave trade until 1808, 21 years after the ratification of the Constitution. This clause was designed to protect the rights of slave owners to continue importing slaves from other countries. The framers of the Constitution consciously avoided using the word "slave", recognising that it would sully the document. Instead, they used vague and open-textured language, leaving it to each generation to interpret the meaning of the words.
The Constitution's protection of slavery was not just a matter of wording or interpretation. It had real and significant consequences. For example, Thomas Jefferson would have lost the election of 1800 if not for the Three-Fifths Compromise. The Constitution's protection of slavery was also a major factor in the Civil War, which ultimately led to the elimination of slavery through constitutional amendments.
The formal abolition of slavery changed the rules of play, but it did not end the game of white domination itself. The Reconstruction amendments abolished slavery and required equal protection of the laws, but they did not address the underlying power dynamics that allowed slavery to flourish in the first place. It took the 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868 after the Civil War, to add the assurance of equal protection for all citizens, regardless of race.
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The Fugitive Slave Clause required the return of runaway slaves to their owners
The Constitution protected slavery in several ways. Firstly, it increased political representation for slave owners and slave states. Secondly, it limited congressional power to regulate the international slave trade. Thirdly, it protected the rights of slave owners to recapture their escaped slaves.
The Fugitive Slave Clause, or Article 4, Section 2, required the return of runaway slaves to their owners. This clause was a notorious part of the Constitution, which institutionalised slavery and only protected the rights of white men. The Fugitive Slave Clause was one of several proslavery clauses in the Constitution, which also included the Apportionment Clause and the Slave Import Limitation. The Fugitive Slave Clause gave slave owners the right to recapture their escaped slaves, and it took a Civil War and constitutional amendments to eliminate slavery.
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The slave import limitation prohibited Congress from regulating the international slave trade until 1808
The Constitution protected slavery in several ways. One of the most significant was the slave import limitation, which prohibited Congress from regulating the international slave trade until 1808, 21 years after the ratification of the Constitution. This meant that the flow of slaves through the international slave trade remained unregulated for over two decades, allowing slave owners to continue importing enslaved people with no legal repercussions.
Article I, Section 9, also known as the slave import limitation, was a temporary measure that prevented Congress from taking any action to ban the importation of slaves. This provision ensured that the economic interests of slave owners and slave states were protected, as they could continue to profit from the slave trade without interference from the federal government.
The slave import limitation was a compromise made during the drafting of the Constitution to appease the southern states, which relied heavily on slavery and the slave trade. By prohibiting Congress from regulating the slave trade until 1808, the Constitution effectively delayed any potential changes to the status quo, giving slave owners and slave states time to adapt and maintain their economic and political power.
The slave import limitation had far-reaching consequences, as it allowed the slave trade to continue unabated for over two decades. This resulted in the continued enslavement and exploitation of countless individuals, primarily people of African descent, who were forcibly transported across the Atlantic and sold into slavery in the United States.
It is important to note that while the Constitution may have been interpreted as protecting slavery, it did not explicitly use the word "slave". Instead, it included proslavery clauses, such as the three-fifths clause, which counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes, and the fugitive slave clause, which required the return of escaped slaves to their owners. These provisions, along with the slave import limitation, demonstrate how the Constitution institutionalised and protected slavery, even if it did not use the word directly.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution protected slavery and promoted slave ownership. The Apportionment Clause, Article I, Section 2, added three-fifths of "all other Persons" ‒ slaves ‒ to the number of free inhabitants of a state for purposes of representation. This clause, by boosting the number of representatives in Congress for the slave states, guaranteed political protection for slavery. The same three-fifths ratio boosted the representation of slave states in the Electoral College during presidential elections.
The Constitution prohibited Congress from outlawing the Atlantic slave trade for twenty years.
The Fugitive Slave Clause, located in Article IV, Section 2, further asserted that a slave who was bound by the laws of their home state remained slaves wherever they went, even if they fled to a non-slavery state.
The Framers made a prudential compromise with slavery because they sought to achieve their highest goal of a stronger Union of republican self-government. Since some slaveholding delegations threatened to walk out of the Constitution if slavery was threatened, there was a real possibility that there would have been separate free and slave confederacies instead of the United States.
