The debate
immediately became general, being carried on principally by Rutledge,
the Pinckneys, and Williamson from the Carolinas; Baldwin of Georgia;
Mason, Madison, and Randolph of Virginia; Wilson and Gouverneur Morris
of Pennsylvania; Dickinson of Delaware; and Ellsworth, Sherman, Gerry,
King, and Langdon of New England.[5]
In this debate the moral arguments were prominent. Colonel George Mason
of Virginia denounced the traffic in slaves as "infernal;" Luther Martin
of Maryland regarded it as "inconsistent with the principles of the
revolution, and dishonorable to the American character." "Every
principle of honor and safety," declared John Dickinson of Delaware,
"demands the exclusion of slaves." Indeed, Mason solemnly averred that
the crime of slavery might yet bring the judgment of God on the nation.
On the other side, Rutledge of South Carolina bluntly declared that
religion and humanity had nothing to do with the question, that it was a
matter of "interest" alone. Gerry of Massachusetts wished merely to
refrain from giving direct sanction to the trade, while others contented
themselves with pointing out the inconsistency of condemning the
slave-trade and defending slavery.
The difficulty of the whole argument, from the moral standpoint, lay in
the fact that it was completely checkmated by the obstinate attitude of
South Carolina and Georgia.
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