Georgia Quotes
The General Assembly shall have no power to pass laws for the emancipation of slaves
Georgia, Article 2, Constitution of 1861
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Later changed the name to The Emancipator. Many are surprised that a Southern State would have had such strong abolitionist sentiment so early, but East Tennessee was a hotbed of abolition. See {614117} and {614069}
It was in fact, the following year when the South rebelled to prevent a “settlement”, but the irony was that the Civil War brought the settlement—emancipation-- faster and on less favorable terms than had they not rebelled and let the political process end slavery gradually as the majority of the nation wanted and morality dictated.
In April, 1784, the Continental Congress passed a series of laws that Jefferson had drafted for the NorthWest territory—Ohio then being the west and the states that would develop there. However, the quotation is the clause that the Southern States blocked and hence did not become law, as the Soothers states cared little about the status of the area regarding slavery, but feared that the new states wold become a sanctuary for runaway slaves. It was another case where Jefferson attempted to end slavery. It also was yet another example of the unwieldiness of the Continental Congress to manage the new nation which led up to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Ironically, as a price for union, the Southern States demanded and obtained a disproportionate representation in the New House of Representatives by having 60 percent of their slaves counted inzallocating congressional seats. The senate also worked in their favor as there were enough Southern states to block any attack on slavery in the Senate. There was no democratic way to eliminate slavery and the Civil War resulted. However, Jefferson’s proposed law was passed by the last Continental Congress in June, 1787. The difference was that there was also added a proviso that required the return of all runaway slaves from the new territory and states which was lacking in the earlier attempt.
Louisiana was then a possession of France
See {613644} for the earlier decree which this modified.
It, would automatically emancipate all children born to slaves thereafter. It did not pass. The quote is given as evidence of Jefferson’s attempts to eliminate slavery but is in marked contrast to the fact that he never freed his own slaves nor emancipated slave children (including possibly his own child with his slave Sally Hemmings). In addition, compare this with {629765} and {630991}.
The Act was passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly whose clerk interestingly enough was Tom Paine.
By not dealing with the issue of slavery early in America’s history when it was a very small economic factor in American society, our ancestors delayed action to the point where the economic factor was the overwhelming practical impediment to abolition.
The issue of slavery was coming to a head. Northern states began passing laws like this making it a criminal offence for a government official to aid in the recovery of future slaves. Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island all passed similar statutes. The Rhode Island law is still in existence.
