Reflections on Slavery and the Constitution

George Anastaplo is currently Lecturer in the Liberal Arts at the University of Chicago, Professor of Law at Loyola University of Chicago, and Professor Emeritus of Political Science and of Philosophy at Dominican University.

Anastaplo, one of America's leading scholars on law and the Constitution, offers a profound study of the history of slavery and American constitutional law. In this fourth volume in his ambitious ten-part series of 'constitutional sonnets,' Anastaplo argues that a thorough analysis of the history and development of constitutional law and slavery can help readers better understand the state of race relations in the US today. He also maintains that a commitment to understanding fully the language and history of the Constitution can help US society overcome seemingly intractable political and social conflict. In the present volume, Anastaplo largely succeeds in achieving these goals. Although the history of slavery in America is a well-trodden subject, Anastaplo builds a compelling narrative by tightly binding the slavery issue to American constitutionalism, while drawing on a diverse range of supporting materials, including literature, sociology, philosophy, history, political science, and law. In the end, Anastaplo makes a compelling case that the Northern victory in the Civil War was not just a vindication of the strength of the Union, but also a vindication of the enduring strength of constitutional principles. Summing Up: Highly recommended.

• PrefacePart OneChapter 1: Slavery in Ancient GreeceChapter 2: Slavery and the BibleChapter 3: Hugo Grotius (1625)Chapter 4: Somerset v. Stewart and Its Consequences (1771-1772)Chapter 5: John Wesley and the Sins of Slavery (1774)Chapter 6: The Declaration of Independence and the Issue of Slavery (1776)Chapter 7: Human Nature and the ConstitutionChapter 8: The Compromises with Respect to Equality in the Constitution (1787)Chapter 9: The States in the Constitution (1787)Chapter 10: The Federalist on Slavery and the Constitution (1787-1788)Chapter 11: Hannah More and Other Poets on Slavery (1798-1847)Chapter 12: Suppression of the International Slave TradeChapter 13: John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun On the Abolitionist Petition to CongressPart TwoChapter 1: The Fugitive Slave Laws (1793, 1850)Chapter 2: Frederick Douglas and Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)Chapter 3: Chief Justice Taney and the Dred Scott Case (1857)Chapter 4: The Dred Scott Case Dissenters (1857)Chapter 5: Abraham Lincoln in Cincinnati (1859, 1861)Chapter 6: Stephen A. Douglas in Montgomery (November 1860)Chapter 7: The Ordinances of Secession (1860-1861)Chapter 8: The Declarations of Causes Issued by Seceding States (1860-1861)Chapter 9: The Confederate Constitution (1861)Chapter 10: Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War Generals, and Slavery (1860-1865)Chapter 11: Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Emancipation Proclamation (1863)Chapter 12: The Civil War Amendments (1865, 1868, 1870)Chapter 13: The Lost Cause TransformedAppendicesAppendix A: The Declaration of Independence (1776)Appendix B: The Northwest Ordinance (1787)Appendix C: The United States Constitution (1787)Appendix D: The Amendments to the United States Constitution (1791-1992)Appendix E: The Confederate Constitution (1861)Appendix F: On the Relations of Slaves to Masters Who Considered Them “Nothings” Appendix G: Roster of Cases and other Materials Draw On