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Defending the Constitution: Why the Founders Couldn’t Abolish Slavery

Defending the Constitution: Why the Founders Couldn’t Abolish Slavery
John Trumbull's painting, "Declaration of Independence" (1819), depicts the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. The painting can be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill. The original hangs in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. Public Domain
Rob Natelson
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Commentary
This is the third in a series of essays defending our Constitution against unfair accusations from so-called progressives. The first essay rebutted the charge that the Constitution discriminated against women. The second corrected the claim that the three-fifths compromise was motivated by racism.
Rob Natelson
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor who is senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver, authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025). He is a contributor to The Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.” He also researched and wrote the scholarly article “Virgil and the Constitution,” whose publication is pending in Regent University Law Review.
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