The moment a President issues a proclamation and America amends its Constitution, deeming classes and an ethnicity of people as wards of the State, and, a Civil War is claimed as though caused entirely by this, is the moment America's national government corruption sees daylight.
Call me racist, call me anything you want, if reason is responded to with such emotional defenselessness, it is at that point the reason is affirmed true.
So let's dig in....
James Madison wrote so eloquently in 1788:
“It were doubtless to be wished, that the power of prohibiting the importation of slaves had not been postponed until the year 1808, or rather that it had been suffered to have immediate operation.” he continues...
“But it is not difficult to account, either for this restriction on the general government, or for the manner in which the whole clause is expressed...
“It ought to be considered as a great point gained in favor of humanity, that a period of twenty years may terminate forever, within these States, a traffic which has so long and so loudly upbraided the barbarism of modern policy;…
“that within that period, it [slavery] will receive a considerable discouragement from the federal government, and may be totally abolished, by a concurrence of the few States which continue the unnatural traffic, in the prohibitory example which has been given by so great a majority of the Union....
“Happy would it be for the unfortunate Africans, if an equal prospect lay before them of being redeemed from the oppressions of their European brethren!” -- Emphasis mine. http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fed_42.html
This is the clause in the Constitution Madison is referring to:
“The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight [1808], but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.”-- http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
What I just cited is James Madison explaining what the Constitutional Convention did by this clause in the Constitution, that the Convention agreed to end slavery and that this is why this clause even exists in the Constitution.
Now for the emotional part, James Madison used phrases that all you folks who came to racist assumptions about Our Founders should be falling all over yourselves to ask forgiveness for being wrong about, such as “unfortunate Africans” and “European brethren,” phrases that absolutely contradict the public education depicted “callous and uncaring white slave owning American Founders.” Remember that Madison said these things to aid in getting the People of America to ratify the Constitution in 1788. Let that sink in, please. Let your mind appreciate that more than a majority of America's Founders (reference to Members of the Constitutional Convention) and the American People (or Madison would not have made an emotional heartfelt plea this way) were against slavery when the Constitution was passed. This is the unabashed appreciation for the Federalist Papers and their purpose, for the anti-Federalist Papers and their contribution, and for the depth of thought and consideration made by Our Founders in the course of the Constitutional Convention.
God Bless you and thank you for reading and sharing this,
Toddy Littman
