Friday, September 21, 2007

How Slavery Shaped the US Constitution

Dark Bargain: Slavery, Profits and the Struggle for the Constitution, by Lawrence Goldstone, Walker & Company.

The Constitution was the result of the work of "highly pragmatic men who were pursuing limited and self-interested goals." Too bad we lack such men in high places now.

The author respond to a book review on Mary L. Dudziak's Legal History Blog:
http://legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/lawrence-goldstone-responds-to-gordon.html

It's possible that interpreting the Constitution based on original intent just isn't possible because the compromisers that got the Constitution written and adopted did not all mean the same thing.

Here's the link to the transcript of Goldstone's appearance on the NPR Tavis Smiley show:
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200611/20061116_goldstone.html

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