Question

Was the United States "founded on slavery"? Those who support this framing point to several of the Founding Fathers being slave owners themselves while, as previously mentioned, leaving slavery intact under the early Constitution. From the other side, those critical of this wording state that by no means did every delegate at the Constitutional Convention champion slavery as many were against it and agreed to leave it untouched while optimistically hoping for it to progressively die out in the coming decades as it had in their states. Moreover, this position finds support in the warnings of the slave states in their refusal to agree to the Constitution if slavery were abolished therein. Antislavery proponents saw its inclusion as a necessary evil to create this new government. Had the issue been addressed then and there (in 1787) perhaps the Union would have never been created at all.

Answer 1

The issue of slavery played a significant role in the early history of the United States, and it is true that many of the Founding Fathers were slave owners themselves. However, it is also true that there were those who opposed slavery and sought to leave it untouched in the early Constitution in the hopes that it would eventually die out. It is therefore inaccurate to say that the United States was "founded on slavery," as this overlooks the complex and often conflicting views held by those who shaped the country's early history. While it is important to acknowledge the role that slavery played in the formation of the United States and its institutions, it is equally important to recognize the diversity of perspectives and motivations that contributed to the country's founding.