“knowing full well that abolition was what we desired”
Only true to a certain point. If they really wanted abolition, then they could have written it into the Articles of Confederation. They did not. Though the Congress under those articles did forbid slavery in the North West Territory.
They could have abolished slavery in the Constitution of the United States, but had to compromise with those states that wanted the institution made legal in the new Constitution.
They even refused to use the term slave in the new Constitution, referring to them as 3/5s of all other persons, or persons held to service or labor. At least the Confederate Constitution called a spade a spade, they were not ashamed to call it negro slavery.
As a Nation, we passed on the opportunity to outlaw slavery after our Independence from the British Crown.
Several states took that action, by 1808 slavery was illegal in the States north of the Mason Dixon line except Delaware. But these laws used gradual emancipation rather than grant out right freedom.
The last of New York slaves were not freed by legislation until 1827.
In Pennsylvania the last slaves were not freed until 1843.
In New Jersey, there were still two “apprentices for life” in 1860 slave census
Delaware, never freed their slave population. They didn’t even ratify the XIII Amendment. Slavery ended there with the adoption of the XIII Amendment.
You’ve decided to throw in with the blame-America first crowd and the 1619 Project. I have not and on that note we’ll have to agree to disagree.