Why didn’t the leaders of the American Revolution extend their spirit of equality to the abolition of slavery

Answer 1

The intent of our founding fathers was specific and clear in that everyone was equal and the concepts of freedom was given to everyone. Unfortunately racism did run strong, and still does in many parts of the country. Back in the early formations of the colonies it wasn't only Blacks that were held as slaves, though they did make up the majority. Why it took an amendment to specifically prohibit slavery is beyond me, save that it made it impossible for judges to ignore.

Answer 2

Because a lot of them owned slaves themselves. And because the system was so entrenched, especially in the South, that they could not see how to get along without it. And because those who were anti-slavery needed the Southerners to go along with the Revolution, and because those anti-slavery leaders thought that slavery would soon fade away in a few decades anyway. They did not realize that the economy in the South would become even more dependent on slavery in the decades to come.

Answer 3

The revolution centered around severing ties with Great Britain. A number of the patriots of the revolution were slave owners and it wasn't until much later that a man named Lincoln and John Brown felt it was wrong. Their approaches were very different, but it set the ball rolling, and really began to take off thanks to Martin Luther King in the 1960's. I think that equality still has a long way to go.

Answer 4

Basically, they were in a rush to form a Union, and to get the South into it, they allowed its continuance.

Answer 5

Racism and economics.