Another Constitution Question

[JBeukema]

Article One, Section Nine: Limits on Congress

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

Is this referring to the Slave Trade? Did this mean that the States could not disallow the importation of slaves until 1808?

 

[Missourian]

Article One, Section Nine: Limits on Congress

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

Is this referring to the Slave Trade? Did this mean that the States could not disallow the importation of slaves until 1808?

No, it means the U.S. Congress could not abolish the slave trade before 1808. It was a compromise demanded by the slave states before they would ratify the Constitution.

EDIT: "Mr. [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Spaight[/SIZE][/FONT] further explained the clause. That the limitation of this trade to the term of twenty years was a compromise between the Eastern States and the Southern States. South Carolina and Georgia wished to extend the term. The Eastern States insisted on the entire abolition of the trade. That the state of North Carolina had not thought proper to pass any law prohibiting the importation of slaves, and therefore its delegation in the Convention did not think themselves authorized to contend for an immediate prohibition of it."

http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a1_9_1s15.html

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Article One, Section Nine: Limits on Congress

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

Is this referring to the Slave Trade? Did this mean that the States could not disallow the importation of slaves until 1808?

Yes, it became illegal to import slaves in 1808, though that did not stop the importation of slaves completely. It meant that the Congress could not outlaw the importation of slaves until at least 1808. The individual states were free to outlaw slavery as they saw fit.

 

[JBeukema]

Thanks, guys. Wow... it's amazing just what made it into our Constitution. It really highlights what was going on at the time...

 

[JW Frogen]

Ten dollars tax per slave!

That is outrageous.

If I had to pay a ten dollar tax to move Spike Lee I would have just set him free.

Fucking Federal government, always picking our cotton feilds!!!!!

 

[editec]

The Floundering Fathers had to compromise with the devil.

Never works out, does it?