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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --FRIDAY MARCH 28.
The Come. last mentd. reported that two blacks be rated as equal to one freeman.
Mr. Wolcott was for rating them as 4 to 3.
Mr. Carrol as 4 to 1.
Mr. Williamson sd he was principled agst slavery; and that he thought slaves an incumbrance to Society instead of increasing its ability to pay taxes.
Mr. Higginson as 4 to 3.
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Mr. Rutledge sd, for the sake of the object he wd agree to rate Slaves as 2 to 1, but he sincerely thought 3 to 1 would be a juster proportion.
Mr. Holten as 4 to 3.
Mr. Osgood sd he cd not go beyond 4 to 3.
On a question for rating them as 3 to 2 the votes were N. H., ay. Mas., no. R. I., divd. Cont, ay. N. J., ay. Pa., ay. Delr., ay. Maryd, no. Virga., no. N. C., no. S.C., no.
The Paragraph was then postponed by general consent, some wishing for further time to deliberate on it; but it appearing to be the general opinion that no compromise wd be agreed to.
After some further discussions on the report in which the necessity of some simple and practicable rule of apportionment came fully into view, Mr. Madison said that in order to give a proof of the sincerity of his professions of liberality, he wd propose that Slaves should be rated as 5 to 3. Mr. Rutledge 2ded. the motion. Mr. Wilson sd he would sacrifice his opinion to this compromise.
Mr. Lee was agst changing the rule, but gave it as his opinion that 2 slaves were not equal to 1 freeman.
On the question for 5 to 3 it passed in the affirmative N. H. ay. Mass. divd. R. I., no. Cont. no. N. J. ay. Pa., ay Maryd, ay. Va. ay. N. C. ay. S. C. ay.
A motion was then made by Mr. Bland, 2ded. by Mr. Lee to strike out the clause so amended and on the question "shall it stand" it passed in the negative; N. H. ay. Mas: no. R. I. no. Conn. no. N.J., ay. Pa. ay. Del. no. Mar. ay. Virga, ay. N. C., ay. S. C., no; so the clause was struck out.
The arguments used by those who were for rating slaves high were, that the expence of feeding & cloathing them was as fax below that incident to freemen as their industry & ingenuity were below those of freemen; and that the warm climate within wch. the States having slaves lay, compared wth. the rigorous climate & inferior fertility of the others, ought to have great weight in the case & that the exports of the former States were greater than of the latter. On the other side it was said that Slaves were not put to labour as young as the children of laboring families--that, having no interest in their labor, they did as little as possible, & omitted every exertion of thought requisite to facilitate & expedite it; that if the exports of the States having slaves exceeded those of the others, their imports were in proportion, slaves being employed wholly in agriculture, not in manufactures; & that in fact the balance of trade formerly was much more agst the So. States than the others.
On the main question see Journals.
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