Handout B: Slavery and the Constitution
Handout B: Slavery and the Constitution
Directions: Locate each of the following constitutional provisions, then explain how it could be read to protect, or not to protect, the institution of slavery. After completing the chart, respond to the question at bottom.
| Constitution Citation | Constitutional Phrase | How did this protect (or not protect) slavery? | Was this amended later? If so how? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The Preamble | This has not been changed | ||
| 2. Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 | Changed by Section 2 of the 14th Amendment. | ||
| 3. Article I, Section 9, Clause 1 | Congress outlawed the importation of slaves in 1808. | ||
| 4. Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 | Changed by the 13th Amendment. | ||
| 5. Article V | This provision has not been changed. | ||
| 6. The Fifth Amendment | This provision has not been changed. The Fourteenth Amendment applied a similar limit to states. | ||
| 7. The Tenth Amendment | This provision has not been changed. |
Was the Constitution (prior to the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery) a pro-slavery document?
Mark the place on the scale that represents your response:
