Slavery and the American Revolution

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that, when the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 and the founders of the United States sought to put into writing the ideological basis for the nation they had recently created, slavery was an issue. The author points out that the perpetuation of slavery was a direct contradiction to their premise that "all men are created equal" and many members of the convention called for its abolishment. The paper relates that, instead, it was acknowledged by the convention that the southern economy could not function without it; slavery continued but only where it was indispensable; however, the Continental Congress did attempt to eliminate the trading of slaves between America and Africa.

From the Paper:

"Still, advocates for the rights of blacks were numerous in the early years of the United States. People like Anthony Benezet, Dr. Benjamin Rush, and Benjamin Franklin overtly urged blacks to oust their oppressors and to seek total equality (Meltzer, 31). In 1757, a Quaker named John Woolman routinely wrote of his reasoning for condemning slavery: "Men having power too often misapplied it; that though we made slaves of Negroes, and the Turks made slaves of the Christians, I believed that liberty was the natural right of all men equally." (Meltzer, 32). These were the people and principles that formed the United States, so when war broke out it was quickly recognized that forcing slave forces to fight was not in accord with the moral foundation of the nation."

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