"Representatives of the northern states claimed that if the southern slaves were mere property, then they should not be counted towards voting representation in Congress (Harrison 1)". ... The northern delegates were afraid that any attempt they made to abolish slavery would have caused the five southern states to refuse to ratify the constitution (Welch 33). ... Most slavery had declined by the late seventeen hundreds, but in the new constitution it was still legal because all of the Northern and Southern delegates had signed the new constitution. ... The invention of the cotton gin made ...

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• Approx Pages: 13