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Article: Slave-Trade Debate Resolved on Pragmatic, Not Moral, Grounds Series: THE SUMMER OF '87 Series Number: occ
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- August 24, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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In their notes of the debates in the Constitutional Convention of
1787, James Madison and the others who kept records report only the
words spoken by the delegates, not the volume of their voices, or
their gestures or, alas, the looks on their faces.
Thus it is difficult to gauge the tone of the debate on the
subject of slavery, whether George Mason's voice trembled, or Oliver
Ellsworth's jowls quivered with anger or whether someone was
shouting. The written words, however, leave the impression that most
of the debate was cold, hard, impersonal and blunt, rather than
heated and emotional. Ultimately, business was transacted as usual.
At issue was the clause proposed by the South Carolina ...