Slavery or Servitude
Main Navigation
- Home
- Washington Crossing the Delaware
- UGRR in Southern Illinois
- Abraham Lincoln and Leadership
- Charlie Birger and Prohibition Days in Southern Illinois
- Rhetoric
- Wicked Problems
- African American History in Southern Illinois
-
Semantic Constitutions
- Census
- Admission to the Union
- Advice and consent
- Alcohol
- Ambassadors
- Amendments
- Appointments
- Articles of Confederation
- Bankruptcy
- Becoming a Citizen
- Bill of Attainder
- Age
- Citizens
- Appropriations
- Commander in Chief
- Common law
- Compensation for service
- Congress
- Congressional session
- Constitution
- Courts
- Criminal activity
- Debt
- Determining representation
- Disputed elections
- District of Columbia
- Due process
- Duties
- Electing the president
- Elections
- Electors
- Equal Protection
- Ex post facto law
- Executive officers
- Executive powers
- Faith and credit
- Foreign powers
- Holding office
- House of Representatives
- Impeachment
- Indians
- Inferior courts
- Insurrection
- Judges
- Judicial Power
- Judicial procedure
- Jurisdiction(s)
- Jury
- Law
- Law Making Procedure
- Legislative Powers
- Legislative Rules
- Marque and Reprisal
- Migration – Immigration
- Military
- Militia
- Money
- National Defense
- Oaths of Office
- Patents and Copyrights
- Piracy
- Post Office
- President
- Private Property
- Privileges of Service
- Procedure for Filling Vacancies
- Race
- Ratification of Amendments
- Ratifying Constitution
- Reciprocity
- Records of Debate
- Religion
- Reproves and Pardons
- Rights of Accused
- Rights of Citizens
- Senate
- Sex / Gender
- Slavery or Servitude
- Native American History in Southern Illinois
-
Contact Us
Educating with Evidence
Wham, Room Number 323K
625 Wham Dr
Mailcode 4610
Carbondale, IL 62901
618-453-4250
gmiller@siu.edu
Main Content
Slavery or Servitude
Annotation
Initially, slaves were only counted as 3/5 of a person for purposes of Congressional apportionment. The Constitution was otherwise silent on issue of slavery until enactment of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery. Although the words slave, slaves or slavery do not appear in the Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1 concerned slavery. The words “such Persons” were an indirect reference to slaves. This language resulted from a compromise between pro-slave and anti-slave forces that prevented any specific reference to slavery or any effort to ban slavery in the Constitution in return for the elimination of slave trade in 1808.
Citations
(Click on citations for more information)
Article 1, Section 2, Clause 2
Citations
Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons [Modified by Amendment XIV]. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons [Modified by Amendment XIV]. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3
No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Amendment 13, Section 1
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Amendment 14, Section 4
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Amendment 15, Section 1
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.