Black lives did not matter to the rich white men who met in 1787 to write the U.S. Constitution. About 40 percent of them were enslavers — including George Washington and James Madison, the so-called father of the Constitution. Although this document never mentions “slaves” or “slavery” — or race — the men assembled in Philadelphia made sure to hammer slavery into the foundation of the country they were building. The kidnapping and forced transport of enslaved human beings would be continued until at least 1808. Anyone fleeing slavery and subsequently apprehended “shall be delivered upon claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.” Whatever private qualms some of these men may have had about treating people as property, these did not show up in what they produced.
No. The U.S. Constitution was a document of oppression for enslaved people.
At this moment when school districts across our country commit themselves to anti-racist teaching, they need to help students consider the roots of today’s racial inequality. On this Constitution Day, let’s look deeply and critically at how this document may have offered a republican form of government for some, but denied humanity to others, and contributed to the system of white supremacy we still need to dismantle.
