Did the Founders Defend Slavery?

"Earlier this year you said that the Founding Fathers who wrote the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence worked tirelessly to end slavery. Now with respect Congresswoman, that’s just not true." -George Stephanopoulos to Michele Bachmann June 28, 2011


If George Stephanopoulos knew the history of the constitutional convention, he would know there was heated debate regarding slavery and a tug of war regarding its termination.  I know the politically correct version of our constitution's birth is to say the 3/5 "value" assigned to slaves as a person was inherently racist and proof the founders thought less of black people.  This is an utter mischaracterization of what the founders were attempting to do with the 3/5 assignment to slaves (race not specified.)  Since agreement could not be reached during the convention to end slavery, the founders opposed to slavery argued the states who wished to keep slavery intact should not be allowed to count enslaved people in their population tallies, which would then be used to determine the number of representatives those states would have in the House of Representatives.  What the anti-slavery founders were attempting to do at the convention was to pressure the pro-slavery states to give it up.  In terminating slavery and setting all slaves free, the pro-slavery states would then be allowed to fully count those newly free CITIZENS in their census, thereby increasing the number of people representing them in Congress.  It was very much an anti-slavery, pro-freedom and wise move by the abolitionists who participated in the crafting of our Constitution.  Former slave and great patriot, Frederick Douglass, upon gaining proper understanding of this 3/5 delineation, recognized the value and true intent of this agreement and came to defend it.  I suppose in today's environment, he would be yet another black conservative who would be labeled an "Uncle Tom" by the liberal left.


The bottom line is the condescending, know-it-all, self-important personalities in the mainstream media are really wearing thin.  They're like the company that has over-stayed their welcome.  They're like a bad smell that keeps wafting through the air and you just can't determine the source to get rid of it.  I guess, at the very least, the purpose they serve it to keep exposing what it is we need to root out of our nation.