3.7. Slavery in the Constitution http://www.ck12.org
3.7 Slavery in the Constitution
The Declaration of Independence included a list of grievances against King George. Thomas Jefferson’s original
draft of the Declaration included a grievance condemning slavery and blaming the King for introducing it into the
Americas. That grievance was deleted before the final version was adopted, but the Declaration did include the
phrase “all men are created equal.”
In spite of this, the Constitution allowed slavery to continue. The documents below include Jefferson’s slavery
grievance and statements from several framers of the Constitution explaining their decision not to abolish slavery.
As you read, think about why slavery persisted in the Constitution, despite the fact that the Declaration declared all
men equal.
Slavery Grievance –Jefferson
Source: Thomas Jefferson was born to a slave-owning family and he himself owned slaves. As chairman of the
committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote a paragraph condemning slavery in his
first draft of the Declaration. He included this paragraph in his list of complaints against King George III. Before
the final version of the Declaration was adopted, this paragraph was deleted.
King George III has waged cruel war against human Nature itself. He has taken away the most sacred rights of
Life and Liberty from a distant people who never offended him. He did this by captivating and carrying them into
slavery in another hemisphere if they did not die a miserable death in their transportation to this new world. These
disgraceful practices are the Warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain.
He has stopped every attempt to prohibit or to restrain the disgusting business of slavery. He is determined to keep
open a market where men are bought and sold.
Questions:
1.Sourcing:When was this passage written? By whom?
2.Close Reading:How does Jefferson describe slavery? Who does he blame for the continuation of the slave
trade?
3.Close Reading:Why do you think Jefferson italicizes the word ’Christian’ at the end of the first paragraph?
4.Contextualization:What else was going on at this time? Why do you think that Thomas Jefferson included
a paragraph about slavery when he first wrote the Declaration of Independence? Why do you think it was
removed?Constitutional Convention –Statements on Slavery
Source: Statements from the Constitutional Convention, which was held in Philadelphia in 1787. Representatives
from the 13 colonies gathered at the Constitutional Convention to write the new constitution. These are some of their
comments about the issue of slavery. The comments of Rutlidge, Elseworth, and Williamson are taken from notes
made by James Madison. The comment by Franklin is taken from a published speech he delivered in Philadelphia