The founding fathers should have?

Question

Did the founding fathers and signers of the Declaration debate or even consider to free slaves or mention them in the writing or the Bill of Rights. If they had, maybe we not had all those 100 years of slavery perhaps and no civil war and 300,000 military dead. If the issue was discussed, then was any of it documented, if so where could that be located at. Not homework, I am way too old.

Answer 1

Hey AJ,

Most anything that was considered by the founding fathers can be found in the Federalist Papers. These are the long winded, drawn out arguments for the construction of the United States framework, balance of power (Justice, Legislature, Executive), and many of the components of the Constitution and Bill of rights.

When I searched the Federalist Papers at the first site for the word (slaves), there are 4 references found.

#54 FP includes:
"All this is admitted, it will perhaps be said; but does it follow, from an admission of numbers for the measure of representation, or of slaves combined with free citizens as a ratio of taxation, that slaves ought to be included in the numerical rule of representation? Slaves are considered as property, not as persons. "

#58 uses the word slave slightly different:
"Ignorance will be the dupe of cunning, and passion the slave of sophistry and declamation. "

You can search the remaining 2 for your self. #54 is the answer you want. They did consider slaves, but only as property, sad but true.

Answer 2

Slavery and slaves were discussed in great detail during the drafting of the Constitution (the Declaration was a different matter), and not always as "property". Ultimately the matter was left untouched when it was realized that the southern states would not ratify the Constitution if slavery were disturbed in any way. The southern states DID want to count slaves as people, though, in determining population for representation in Congress. This the northern states disgreed with (if slaves were not free to vote they could not be counted), leading to the famous "3/5" compromise, in which slaves were counted as 3/5 of a person.

Answer 3

What the slave owning founding fathers meant was freedom for all rich white men. No one else.