Compromises on slavery Did you know the terms slave and slavery do not appear anywhere in the Constitution?
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Compromises on slavery
Did you know the terms
slave and slavery
do not appear anywhere
in the Constitution?
Just as there were disagreements between
large and small states, there were also
disagreements between slave states and free
states. There was a disagreement among the
delegates over whether slavery should be
allowed to continue or not. Of the 55
delegates at the Constitutional Convention,
about 25 (almost half!) owned slaves. They
believed that slavery should be allowed to
continue. Others believed that their new
country should outlaw slavery.
"It is much to be wished that slavery may be abolished. The honor of the States, as well as justice and humanity, in my opinion, loudly call upon them to emancipate these unhappy people. To contend for our own liberty, and to deny that blessing to others, involves an inconsistency not to be excused."
-John Jay, 1786
Source #1
Abolish: to get rid ofEmancipate: to freeContend: to argue
1. What is the historical time period of this
document?
1786 – “The Critical Period” after the American Revolution,
planning for a new gov’t
2. Who is the speaker?
John Jay
3. What can you tell about the speaker from the
point of view expressed in this document?
He is against slavery
4. What is the purpose behind the text – why does
they author write it?
He is trying to convince Americans that
slavery is wrong and should be abolished
5. Does John Jay think slavery should be outlawed in
the Constitution?
Yes
6. Provide text-based evidence to support your answer
“To contend for our own liberty, and to deny
that blessing to others, involves an inconsistency
not to be excused."
"While there remained one acre of swamp-land uncleared of South Carolina, I would raise my voice against restricting the importation of [slaves]. I am . . . thoroughly convinced . . . that the nature of our climate, and the flat, swampy situation of our country, obliges us to cultivate our lands with [slaves], and that without them South Carolina would soon be a desert waste."
-Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, 1786
Source #2
Oblige: to force
1. What is the historical time period of this
document?
2. Who is the speaker?
3. What can you tell about the speaker from the
point of view expressed in this document?
1786 – “The Critical Period” after the American
Revolution, planning for a new gov’t
Charles C. Pinckney
He is in favor of slavery
4. What is the purpose behind the text – why does
they author write it?
5. Does Charles Pinckney think slavery should be
outlawed in the Constitution?
6. Provide text-based evidence to support your
answer
To convince Americans that slavery is vital to the
survival of the South.
No
“the nature of our climate…obliges us to
cultivate our lands with [slaves]…without them
South Carolina would soon be a desert waste."
Conclusion:
Difference: Jay is arguing to get rid of slavery and
Pinckney is arguing to keep it.
Similarity: both written in the same time
period
Issue: Should slaves be counted as part
of a state’s population?
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention
agreed to allow slavery continue. But there were
other disagreements about slavery as well.
Remember, in the House of Representatives, the
number of representatives from each state
depended on a state’s population.
Population of the United States(From the official 1790 census)
Population % slave
Connecticut 237,946 1
Delaware 59,096 15
Georgia 82,548 36
Maryland 319, 728 32
Massachusetts 378,787 0
New Hampshire 141,139 0
New Jersey 184,139 6
New York 340,120 6
North Carolina 393,751 26
Pennsylvania 434,373 1
Rhode Island 68,825 1
South Carolina 249,073 43
Virginia 691,737 39
5. a) Circle the 5
states in the chart
with the lowest
percentage of
slaves.
b) What part of
the country are
those states
located in?
The North
6. a) Write 3 states that would
have the most to gain
by counting slaves as part of
their population.
South Carolina,
Virginia, Georgia
b) What part of the country are
these 3 states located in?
7. Do you think slaves should
be counted as part
of a state’s population to
calculate the number of
representatives? Why or why
not?
Population of the United States(From the official 1790 census)
Population % slave
Connecticut 237,946 1
Delaware 59,096 15
Georgia 82,548 36
Maryland 319, 728 32
Massachusetts 378,787 0
New Hampshire 141,139 0
New Jersey 184,139 6
New York 340,120 6
North Carolina 393,751 26
Pennsylvania 434,373 1
Rhode Island 68,825 1
South Carolina 249,073 43
Virginia 691,737 39
The South
OPPOSING GROUPS
Free states: “Slaves should not be counted
because they are not considered citizens
and have no political rights. They aren’t
even allowed to vote!”
Slave states: “When a census (a count of
the people) is taken to determine how
many representatives each state gets in
Congress, slaves should be included in the
total. We refuse to sign the Constitution if
you don’t allow us to count our slaves!”
THE THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE
The delegates finally agreed on a
compromise. They would count three-
fifths, or 60%, of slaves when
determining a state’s population.
Therefore, neither the North nor South
fully got their way. But at least the
southern delegates would agree to sign
the Constitution into law.
(For example, if a state had 5,000 slaves, 3,000 of
them would be included in the state’s population)
Issue: Should the Constitution ban the slave
trade (importation of slaves)?
By 1787, some northern states had banned
the slave trade within their borders.
Delegates from these states urged that the
slave trade be banned in the entire nation.
Southerners warned that such a ban would
ruin their economy.
OPPOSING GROUPS
Free states: “Limits should be placed
on the number of slaves being
brought into the United States.”
Slave states: “Congress should not be
able to stop us from importing slaves
to work on our plantations. We rely
on slave labor for our economy.”
THE SLAVE TRADE COMPROMISE
Congress would allow the slave trade to
continue for 20 years. After that, it could
regulate (control) the slave trade if it
wished.
(Congress did end up banning the importation of slaves in 1808.
Slavery itself would continue until the 13th
amendment was ratified
in 1865. This amendment abolished slavery)
Conclusion: The delegates at the Constitutional
Convention had very different points of view
about slavery in the new country. Why did they
choose to work together?
They chose to work together because
they knew a stronger, more effective
government was needed. They were
willing to put aside the slavery issue
FOR NOW until the government
was strengthened.
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