tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post6105079895270413738..comments2024-03-28T02:46:03.227-04:00Comments on The Historical Society: Our Pro or Anti-Slavery Constitution?Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-46907341910324220002012-07-13T22:52:22.114-04:002012-07-13T22:52:22.114-04:00The constitution is ambiguous in that it has the 3...The constitution is ambiguous in that it has the 3/5's rule that implicitly acknowledges slavery and in contrast the determination to end the slave trade by 1808. I would say this is a mixed message that reflected the ambivalence of the signers. But the success or failure of the creation of the constitution did not hinge on the issue of slavery and consequently was not a referendum on it but I think you can make a stronger case that it is a racist document based solely on the 3/5's rule.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-43940115126482659062012-07-13T15:53:44.365-04:002012-07-13T15:53:44.365-04:00According to associate justice Scalia, the antebel...According to associate justice Scalia, the antebellum constitution is <a href="http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/tenuredradical/2012/03/campus-report-when-students-protest-speakers-on-human-rights-grounds/" rel="nofollow">categorically proslavery</a>. (Skim down to the comments)<br /><br />So that settles it, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-75009198805632682472012-07-11T13:19:45.318-04:002012-07-11T13:19:45.318-04:00It appears the authors of the constitution recogni...It appears the authors of the constitution recognized the dependence on slavery and its necessary demise not unlike our own dependence on fossil fuels and our need to end that dependence. Please don't misunderstand I'm not equating slavery with fossil fuels but I am equating a comparable dependence.<br /><br />These men were born into a society that accepted slavery as a norm. As they matured and developed their social philosophies they realized the evils of slavery but couldn't bring themselves to part with the benefits it brought them, contemporary Americans are not immune to these impulses.Paulnoreply@blogger.com