Final answer:
The US Constitution originally protected slaveholders' rights by including the fugitive slave clause in Article IV, Clause 3, which required the return of escaped slaves. It also delayed the end of the foreign slave trade and included the Three-Fifths Compromise, which further entrenched slaveholding interests. These constitutional protections remained in effect until the 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer to whether the original US Constitution protected the rights of slaveholders by requiring that escaped slaves be returned to their owners is true. Initially, the Constitution had provisions that enforced the institution of slavery. Article IV, Clause 3, known as the fugitive slave clause, explicitly stated that those escaping from bondage had to be returned to their masters. This supported the rights of slaveholders and allowed the continuation of slavery, particularly in southern states where the practice was deeply entrenched.Article I of the Constitution also played a role in sustaining slavery. It postponed the prohibition of the foreign slave trade until 1808, allowing the importation of slaves for a prolonged period. The domestic trade of slaves within the US remained unrestricted by the Constitution, providing an internal market for slavery. Furthermore, the Three-Fifths Compromise in Article I, Section 2 dehumanized slaves by counting them as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes, thus granting disproportionate power to slaveholding states without recognizing the rights of slaves.After the Civil War, the adoption of the 13th Amendment eventually made the fugitive slave clause null and void, abolishing slavery and eliminating any constitutional protections for slaveholders.