By Robert Rohlfing ——Bio and Archives--January 7, 2011
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"It were doubtless to be wished, that the power of prohibiting the importation of slaves had not been postponed until the year 1808, or rather that it had been suffered to have immediate operation. But it is not difficult to account, either for this restriction on the general government, or for the manner in which the whole clause is expressed. It ought to be considered as a great point gained in favor of humanity, that a period of twenty years may terminate forever, within these States, a traffic which has so long and so loudly upbraided the barbarism of modern policy; that within that period, it will receive a considerable discouragement from the federal government, and may be totally abolished, by a concurrence of the few States which continue the unnatural traffic, in the prohibitory example which has been given by so great a majority of the Union. Happy would it be for the unfortunate Africans, if an equal prospect lay before them of being redeemed from the oppressions of their European brethren! Attempts have been made to pervert this clause into an objection against the Constitution, by representing it on one side as a criminal toleration of an illicit practice, and on another as calculated to prevent voluntary and beneficial emigrations from Europe to America. I mention these misconstructions, not with a view to give them an answer, for they deserve none, but as specimens of the manner and spirit in which some have thought fit to conduct their opposition to the proposed government."Benjamin Franklin freed his slaves and was a key founder in the anti-slavery society of Pennsylvania. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and many other founding fathers were vehement anti slavery advocates. One thing they did understand thought was that no matter how atrocious enslavement of another human being is and was, that if the Republic was to be formed they would have to put in place a means of amendment so that at a later date some of the original text could have a means of rectification. The 3/5th's clause was one of those that they understood that could be rectified at a time when the country was more established. Fredrick Douglas recognized that the clause was not a measurement of human worth; but was an attempt to reduce pro slavery proponents in Congress. It is obvious that Congressman Jesse Jackson Junior and many others that continue to cite this clause truly do not understand what was involved and why it was inserted in the constitution in the first place. Once again it brings to question was he attempting to incite racial division? All too often these days factual history is left untold over the desire for some to twist it to their own desire and this is bordering on a dangerous path that we cannot allow to continue. In Fredrick Douglas's own words he stated that the Constitution was a, "Great Anti-Slavery document, including all clauses in it!". This spoken from a former slave who took the time to actually read the document, not a person that relied on second hand information or preconceived notions regarding it. We have been conditioned not to fully understand our own history and have allowed for those that would not like for us to examine and present the many discretions to what is being taught today to override the truths hidden in that history. We cannot change the fact that slavery existed in this country as it did in all countries of the world over the course of time, what we can recognize is the fact that our founding fathers did recognize the fact that it was wrong and set up a means to right that wrong. We should be proud of those who actually fought for the 3/5ths clause just as Fredrick Douglas was, because it allowed for those in favor of slavery less of an opportunity to gain more power and control in the long term. And it is long overdue that we stop playing the race card at every opportunity just because you might want to advance a political ideology while disregarding the factual history that got us to this point.
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Robert Rohlfing writes about Liberty and the Preservation of Freedoms.