Slavery in the Constitution

In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal". There is some reason to doubt Jefferson's sincerity in the claim as he himself was a literal slave owner. Still this claim of equality has been a North Star for the United States. While the nation has often failed to live up to this promise It has been a goal and guide as we grow and mature as a people.

In 1787, the founders met at the Constitutional Convention in order to create a new foundation for a strong national government. They had an opportunity to put an end to the "Peculiar Institution" but failed to do so. Naturally, this leads to our Central Historical Question:

Why did the Founding Fathers keep slavery in the Constitution if the Declaration of Independence claimed, "all men are created equal"?

Mission Activities

1. Download the Slavery and the Constitution Source Documents and the Graphic Organizer and complete the Graphic Organizer.

slavery and Const Docs.pdf

Slavery and Const GO.pdf

Mission Products

Option 1

1. Imagine Twitter or Facebook existed during this period. Create a series of Tweets or Posts from the perspective of each primary sources. The posts should explain the perspective and potential outcomes of the decisions. Create at least 15 posts.

Use a site like http://simitator.com/generator/twitter/tweet. (screen shot the tweets)

Option 2

2. Create an "I AM" Poem for one of the individuals in the primary sources.

I AM Poem format

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