Slavery and the constitution.

Abstract

The framers' of the Constitution of the United States were primarily motivated by economic forces, in the north it was commerce and in the south it was slavery. There was a consensus among the delegates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that protection of personal property was the main object of government. It was only natural that personal interest of the delegates played the major role in the formation of the document. In this study the focus is targeted on slavery and its influence on the Constitution. The deep southern delegations of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia insisted that protection of personal property be extended to the slave holders of their states. These men demanded political representation for slaves, extension of slave trade for at least twenty years, and a fugitive slave law. If their demands were not met they would hold the union hostage. For their efforts, or threats depending on which side was taken, a Proslavery Constitution was formed.