Were Our Founding Fathers Racist? The Slaves are 3/5ths of a Person Debate

[Machiavelli]

Jeff Dunetz
RedState
July 18, 2010

Many in the progressive world, believe that our founding fathers were racist. As their evidence they point to Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3 of the United States Constitution:

“ Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.”

To the liberals, the 3/5th figure is an indication that our founding fathers were a bunch of racists who thought that the African Slaves were less than human.

The truth is that the founders from the northern colonies  who opposed Slavery, insisted on counting the slaves as less than “full persons.” The reason for the insistence, is to prevent the slave states from getting too many congressman and electoral votes as to dominate the government and prevent Slavery from ever being abolished.

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[geronl]

Can't judge them using today's rubric

[skeeter]

Ignorance is the fuel of progressivism.

[Cripplecreek]

Can't judge them using today's rubric

It was a pretty complicated issue.

Even men who wanted to release their own slaves couldn't. Slaves were collateral on debts and if a man released his slaves without the debt being paid, the slaves belonged to the creditors.

James Armistead Lafayette is a good example of what a mess it was. He was a slave owned by William Armistead who went to join Benedict Arnold's camp (and later to Lord Charles Cornwallis's camp) as a spy who was actually a double agent spying for the Marquis de Lafayette.

After the war slaves who had fought as soldiers were free if they wished it but James Armistead was a spy and not considered to be a soldier so he returned to William Armistead's plantation.

 In 1824 James Monroe invited the the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the USA. The Marquis was a big hero and crowds came out to see him everywhere he went. The Marquis spotted James and William in the crowd and found that James was still a slave. The Marquis with the help of William Armistead (who was himself a delegate to congress) petitioned congress for James to be freed. James Armistead took the name Lafayette to honor the Marquis.

[EasyAce]

Can't judge them using today's rubric

No, but you can ponder that the real reason for the 3/5ths issue was a bid to keep the south from adding
more slave states or blocking any eventual abolition of slavery by way of adding to their Congressional
representation. (It couldn't, of course, it took a civil war and a constitutional amendment, finally . . . )

[Bigun]

No, but you can ponder that the real reason for the 3/5ths issue was a bid to keep the south from adding
more slave states or blocking any eventual abolition of slavery by way of adding to their Congressional
representation. (It couldn't, of course, it took a civil war and a constitutional amendment, finally . . . )

So why did it not take that extreme measure to end it anywhere else?

[Doug Loss]

So why did it not take that extreme measure to end it anywhere else?

What makes you think it didn't?  Read the history of Haiti, or some other Caribbean or Latin American countries...