Mr. RUTLEDGE: Religion and humanity have nothing to do with this
question. The true question at present is whether the Southern states
shall or shall not be a part of the Union. If the Northern states think
about their interest, they will not oppose the increase of slaves because
they will profit by selling the goods that slaves produce.
Mr. ELLSWORTH: Let every state do what it pleases. The morality or
wisdom of slavery are decisions belonging to the states themselves.
What enriches a part enriches the whole.
Mr. WILLIAMSON: Southern states could not be members of the Union
if the slave trade ended. It is wrong to force any thing that is not
absolutely necessary, and which any state must disagree to.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: I agree to this Constitution with all its faults
because I think a federal (national) government necessary for us. When
you assemble a large group of men, you will inevitably find that they will
disagree with each other about their local interests, and their selfish
views. We have to accept some of these disagreements in order to
build a national government.
The Founding Fathers’ racism [was] a barrier to antislavery. Here again
Jefferson typified the age. Jefferson suspected that blacks had lower
intellectual abilities than did whites. These suspicions, together with
Jefferson’s fear that free blacks and free whites could not live
harmoniously in America, made him and others think that the only way
Africans could be free was if they were sent back to Africa.
Source: William Freehling, “The Founding Fathers and Slavery.” In Kermit Hall, Ed.,
The Law of American Slavery. New York, NY: Garland Publishing, 1987. p. 221.