Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Ditto
After the Dred Scott decision, the states pretty much lost control over any decision over slavery inside their borders.

True. Slavery was based on the absolute right to property guaranteed to the People by the Constitution. Where the People went, so did their rights.

Government is instituted to protect property of every sort; as well that which lies in the various rights of individuals, as that which the term particularly expresses. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own.
James Madison's Essay on Property (1792)

-----

Scott said among other things, 1. The Northwest Ordnance was unconstitutional (complete historical nonsense)

Was it? Really? Could you please quote the Article and section of the Constitution that gives the federal government authority over the issue of slavery?

-----

2. that individual state's personal liberty laws were trumped by the Constitution's provision requiring return of runaways

Also true. One cannot have the legal ability to have property returned unless one had a right to that property to begin with.

(You DO realize the sign of an educated mind is the ability to understand a concept like slavery without actually agreeing with the owning of slaves, don't you?)

-----

3. That blacks (free or slave) were not people as defined in the Constitution and had no rights in any court in the land (Federal or State).

Also true. The Founders created our country with a social fabric much like that of the ancient Romans. There were 'civil' persons, or citizens of the several states, denizens, or people from other counties who had come here to live (i.e. today's 'illegals') and then slaves.

Before the 14th Amendment, it was the STATES who decided whether of not a denizen deserved to become a civil citizen.

-----

But reading Scott, there is nothing that would have prevented a slave owner from taking his slaves into a free state and setting up shop there.

Also true for reasons already expressed in #2

-----

As Lincoln said in the House Divided speech, we were destined to become all one thing, or all to other.

Since the combined tax rate (consisting of federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, vehicle taxes, property taxes, etc., etc., etc.) is over 50%, I'd say we wound up with 'the other'.

Congratulations.

541 posted on 05/24/2007 3:36:40 PM PDT by MamaTexan (History is rarely both accurate AND politically correct)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 531 | View Replies ]


To: MamaTexan
Slavery was based on the absolute right to property guaranteed to the People by the Constitution.

You should make that your tag line.

Slavery was based entirely on the physical ability of one group to force another to do what they wanted. A fluke change here or their in history, and you would have been the slave of some African planter.

The United States is based on the premise of God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The fact that it took 'fourscore and ten' to legally apply that principle to all people, is a function of politics, not premise.

Back to the subject of the thread --- The South Shall Rise Again. --- Is property rights in form of other humans that what you look for in that rising?

Thank God you are just a damn nut case and not representative of the South.

630 posted on 05/24/2007 7:46:17 PM PDT by Ditto (Global Warming: The 21st Century's Snake Oil)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 541 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson