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The US Constitution played a key role in ending slavery in the United States

James Hrdlicka
Course

Constitutional History/US to 1865 (HST 321)

14 Documents
Students shared 14 documents in this course
Academic year: 2022/2023
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Arizona State University

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The US Constitution played a key role in ending slavery in the United States. The document drafted in 1787 included language that discouraged slavery, specifically the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which provided that slavery should not exist in the Northwest Territory. However, it did not abolish it in the states that were already using slavery. The Three-Fifths Compromise, which categorized slaves as a fraction of a person for taxation and representation purposes, implied that it was not a permanent part of the US political structure (Paulson et al., 2018). As a result, during the Civil War, many arguments supported by members of the Union referred to the fact that the US Constitution did not condone slavery, and advocated for its abolishment (Robinson, 2016). In 1865, the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution officially abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, constructing a new foundation for the United States (Steward et al., 2018).

References

Paulson, S. et al. (2018). “U. Constitution”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on December 15, 2020 from britannica/topic/United-States-Constitution Robinson, D. (2016). “The Role of the US Constitution in Abolishing Slavery”. ThoughtCo. Retrieved on December 15, 2020 from thoughtco/role-of-the-constitution-in-abolishing-slavery- Steward, M. et al. (2018). “Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on December 15, 2020 from britannica/topic/Thirteenth-Amendment-to-the-U-S-Constitution

The U. Constitution was an influential document in the abolition of slavery in the United States, both in strictly legal, and also more far-reaching ways. The Constitution itself, as first drafted in 1787 and as later amended, contains no explicitly anti-slavery language, but instead allows the institution of slavery to continue in states which chose to do so. However, it also laid the foundation for the eventual prohibition of slavery. Notably, Article VI of the Constitution prohibits any state laws which conflict with it, meaning the institution of slavery, which was widely seen as unjust and unconstitutional, could not stand due to this clause (Winters, Julianne M. “Constitution of the United States”).

The Constitution's legal status would prove central to the abolition of slavery. The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, declares that all persons born in the United States are citizens, including those of African descent, a monumental shift from previously accepted legal principles and a key step in ensuring the ultimate legal demise of slavery ( Winters, Julianne M. “Amendments to the United States Constitution”). The influence of the American Constitution in abolishing slavery was also enforced through the moral legacy it helped to create, inspiring generations of activists and citizens to work towards a more just, equal, and free nation.

Work Cited Winters, Julianne M. “Constitution of the United States”. Coradescholar, 2017, coradescholar/constitution/.

Winters, Julianne M. “Amendments to the United States Constitution”. Coradescholar, 2017, coradescholar/amendments/. The legacy of slavery still deeply resonates in the United States today. From the continuing impacts of systemic racism and discrimination to the negative consequences of post-emancipation labor practices, the history of racial inequality in America endures. Political

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The US Constitution played a key role in ending slavery in the United States

Course: Constitutional History/US to 1865 (HST 321)

14 Documents
Students shared 14 documents in this course

University: Arizona State University

Was this document helpful?
The US Constitution played a key role in ending slavery in the United States. The
document drafted in 1787 included language that discouraged slavery, specifically the
Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which provided that slavery should not exist in the
Northwest Territory. However, it did not abolish it in the states that were already using
slavery. The Three-Fifths Compromise, which categorized slaves as a fraction of a
person for taxation and representation purposes, implied that it was not a permanent
part of the US political structure (Paulson et al., 2018). As a result, during the Civil War,
many arguments supported by members of the Union referred to the fact that the US
Constitution did not condone slavery, and advocated for its abolishment (Robinson,
2016). In 1865, the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution
officially abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, constructing a new foundation for
the United States (Steward et al., 2018).
References
Paulson, S. et al. (2018). “U.S. Constitution”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on
December 15, 2020 from https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-States-Constitution
Robinson, D. (2016). “The Role of the US Constitution in Abolishing Slavery”.
ThoughtCo. Retrieved on December 15, 2020 from
https://www.thoughtco.com/role-of-the-constitution-in-abolishing-slavery-3368854
Steward, M. et al. (2018). “Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution”. Encyclopedia
Britannica. Retrieved on December 15, 2020 from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thirteenth-Amendment-to-the-U-S-Constitution

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