My paper concerns the issue of slavery in the Republic of Texas and the Confederate States Constitutions. I began my research by examining the different constitutions that were at least partially based on the U.S. Constitution, among them: Texas, CSA, West Florida, and Vermont. I narrowed it down to these two as a result of their links to slavery.
I have built my thesis around the fact that slavery was seen as an economic and social necessity and had to be protected. At the same time, the way that slavery was addressed in the constitutions was influenced by both states' rights and abolitionists. I am thinking about expanding my primary research to encompass more about the abolitionist effects on slavery.
The most fascinating thing I have discovered was that Southerners' beliefs in slavery was not absolute, they limited themselves to make it more palatable to others. The slave trade was not reopened which would have been supported if not for foreign or northern abolitionist views.
There are even a few Supreme Court cases that show up in this topic. The slavery in the territories question in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) and the inter-state slavery travel question in Strader v. Graham (1850) are solved directly in the CSA Constitution. The Texas Constitution had neither issue but banned slaves from traveling in most cases. Strangely, they banned people of color from living in the country at all! If they did not leave they would be sold into slavery! Let me know what you think of my findings. Thanks and good luck on all of yours...
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This sounds like an interesting topic. I have never really thought about what the Confederate Constitution verballized, and I'm now curious as to what else the Secessionists may have said in that document. I've always been amazed at just how deep and fundamentally racist many of the southern states really were, and unfortunately, I'm not too surprised or shocked that such stupidity would also come from Texas during that period. It does help keep things in perspective, doesn't it?
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