Essay On Slavery And The Constitution

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Slavery and the Constitution During the time leading up to the civil war the north and south, of the United States were in debate on the issue of slavery. The north had an abolitionist outlook on slavery while the south was built around the concept of slavery. Slavery was inconsistent with the fundamental American value of liberty. The Constitution is the document that included the view of slavery. The meaning of slavery in the Constitution has been misinterpreted and has led to much debate. The viewpoints of these men differ based on the way that they interpreted the Constitution. Some like William Lloyd Garrison believed that the Constitution allowed for the enslavement of blacks. Others such as Fredrick Douglass opposed that and believed the Constitution was…show more content…
Douglass tries to say that the Constitution argues for the freedom of the people, not for slavery. The third viewpoint’s main point is that Constitutional rights do not extend to ex-slaves. This is written by chief justice, Roger Taney, who decided the Dred Scott decision, which took away his freedom. This argues that the Constitution does not allow slaves to be given their citizenship. Slaves are not entitled to the same rights in the Constitution because the rights do not extend to them. In the Declaration of Independence, it states that all men are created equal, but it is clearly implied that the African race were not intended to be included. It is understood that blacks were not supposed to be embraced. It is impossible to believe that there were any intentions to give rights or privileges. In this article, he states that blacks are inferior to white race and that they were doomed to slavery. Finally he makes his point when he states that a slave is considered property and the Constitution gives citizens the right to transport slaves like merchandise even if the slave is in a free state, it just depends on what his home state
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