Slavery and the Constitution

** "Slavery and the Constitution" by William I. Bowditch is a mid-1800s exploration into the conflict between American slavery and the ideals of the nation's founding document. Bowditch challenges the reasons people gave to defend slavery, especially how they twisted morality, religion, and the law, and points out how wrong slavery was at its core. The book starts by showing how many believed slavery was approved by God, naming religious figures who backed it. Bowditch exposes the tragic situation of almost three million enslaved people in the South, kept in place by a mix of unawareness and the support of those who should have known better. These beginning parts build to a strong argument against slavery's ethics, insisting it goes against basic human rights and worth, regardless of wealth or circumstance. Bowditch's goal is to create a powerful moral stance against slavery, claiming it ruins both the enslaved and the enslavers, while also revealing how allowing such a system clashes with the Constitution itself. **