International Slave Trade Outlawed
The topic of the international slave trade outlawed revolves around the historical context of the United States' formation and its complex relationship with slavery. During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates confronted the contentious issue of slavery, recognizing that it was already entrenched, particularly in the Southern states. While many were opposed to the practice, a compromise was reached that allowed the international slave trade to continue for an additional 20 years. This decision was influenced by significant economic interests, as both Northern merchants and Southern plantation owners relied on the trade.
The Constitution's Article I, Section 9, included a provision allowing Congress to prohibit the international slave trade only after 1808, while also permitting a tax on such importation. On February 13, 1807, Congress took a pivotal step by passing legislation that prohibited the importation of slaves after January 1, 1808. Although this law did not free existing slaves or restrict the domestic slave market, it marked a significant moment in the gradual movement towards the abolition of slavery in the United States, culminating in the eventual emancipation during the Civil War. This historical development reflects the interplay of moral, economic, and political factors that shaped America's journey regarding human rights and dignity.
International Slave Trade Outlawed
International Slave Trade Outlawed
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the assembled delegates from the 13 colonies that would eventually form the United States of America addressed the question of whether slavery should be permitted in the new nation. Most northerners, and many southerners, were opposed to slavery. However, slavery was already a deeply rooted institution in the South, and the time was not yet ripe for emancipation.
If American slaves could not be emancipated, however, then perhaps at the very least measures could be taken to prevent more slaves from being brought into the country. At this point in history, the international slave trade was a thriving business. Trading ships from America, Great Britain, and other countries sailed to the West African coast to purchase or capture Africans for use as slaves. The persons thus forced into bondage were sold to plantation owners in the American South and the Spanish possessions in Central and South America. It took months for the sailing ships of the time to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, and the people held on board were shackled and chained in cramped quarters and extremely poor conditions. It was not uncommon for a third of the human cargo to die in transit.
Many of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed that, if the new United States were truly to become an enlightened nation, it should act to abolish its role in the international slave trade. However, there were vested economic interests at stake in both the North and the South. Northern merchants ran most of the slave trade with West Africa, and southern plantation owners were unwilling to give up a source of cheap labor. The result was a compromise. The international slave trade would be abolished, but not for 20 years.
The final version of the Constitution contained a clause in Article I, Section 9, which states that “the migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.” The gist of this provision was that Congress could not forbid the international slave trade until 1808, but it could impose a minor tax on the trade, and the individual states themselves were free to close their ports to slave traders. On February 13, 1807, with the foregoing clause about to expire, Congress passed legislation that forever abolished the importation of slaves into the United States after January 1, 1808. This legislation did not emancipate those slaves already present in the country, nor did it prevent people from buying and selling African Americans born within it, but it was a step on the road toward the end of slavery that would not be completed until the Civil War.