Project Gutenberg 2012-01-30 Public domain in the USA. 167 Bowditch, William I. (William Ingersoll) 1819 1909 Slavery and the Constitution Produced by David E. Brown, Bryan Ness and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) "Slavery and the Constitution" by William I. Bowditch is a historical account written in the mid-19th century. The text examines the complex relationship between the institution of slavery in the United States and the principles enshrined in the Constitution. Bowditch critiques the justifications employed by proponents of slavery, particularly as they relate to morality, religion, and law, while delineating the moral failings inherent in the institution of slavery itself. At the start of the book, Bowditch introduces the deeply entrenched views of slavery as divinely sanctioned, highlighting the role of influential religious leaders who supported the practice. He outlines the grim reality of nearly three million enslaved individuals in the Southern states who were held under a system sustained by both ignorance and the complicity of educated members of society. The opening chapters set the stage for a critical analysis of the moral and ethical implications of slavery, arguing that the system fundamentally violates the natural rights and dignity of individuals, regardless of their material conditions. Bowditch aims to articulate a strong moral opposition to slavery, arguing that it corrupts both the enslaved and the enslavers, as well as underlining the constitutional inconsistencies surrounding the acceptance of such a system. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 67.2 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Slavery -- United States Enslaved persons -- United States -- Social conditions E300 Text Category: History - American Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: Law & Criminology Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality Category: Politics 408318 2025-07-15T14:50:43.231135 text/html 410712 2012-01-30T12:44:34 text/html 226258 2025-07-15T14:50:52.002052 application/epub+zip 229527 2025-07-15T14:50:46.504082 application/epub+zip 205794 2025-07-15T14:50:45.232140 application/epub+zip 413319 2025-07-15T14:50:55.782045 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 413609 2025-07-15T14:50:51.138070 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 375698 2022-09-17T16:09:15.093967 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 360659 2025-07-15T14:50:42.251095 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 360598 2012-01-30T12:44:34 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 360624 2012-01-30T12:44:34 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22630 2025-07-15T14:50:55.918033 application/rdf+xml 12884 2025-07-15T14:50:45.737130 image/jpeg 3020 2025-07-15T14:50:45.483118 image/jpeg 130908 2012-01-30T12:44:34 application/octet-stream application/zip 137255 2012-01-30T12:44:34 application/octet-stream application/zip 130889 2012-01-30T12:44:34 application/octet-stream application/zip 221341 2025-07-15T14:50:43.260153 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia