Question
Can you correctly identify the potential Bias present in the primary source document below?
“The Federal Constitution recognizes our right of property in slaves in the common Territories and in the District of Columbia. The Constitution confers no power on Congress or any other political body to interfere with or destroy that right of property...The Constitution of the United States was made by white men, the citizens and representatives of twelve slaveholding and one non-slaveholding State; and it was made for white men. It denied the right of citizenship to the black race whether bond or free, and recognized them as property when they are held in bondage.” - from the Texas Declaration of Secession
Remember: this statement gives an opinion phrased as a fact or truth, but it is biased. What is the possible source of that bias?
Texas was a state where slavery was legal and widely practiced
Texas was a state where the economy was based on industrialism
The Constitution was written by abolitionists
A mix of slave-holding and free states ratified the Constitution
“The Federal Constitution recognizes our right of property in slaves in the common Territories and in the District of Columbia. The Constitution confers no power on Congress or any other political body to interfere with or destroy that right of property...The Constitution of the United States was made by white men, the citizens and representatives of twelve slaveholding and one non-slaveholding State; and it was made for white men. It denied the right of citizenship to the black race whether bond or free, and recognized them as property when they are held in bondage.” - from the Texas Declaration of Secession
Remember: this statement gives an opinion phrased as a fact or truth, but it is biased. What is the possible source of that bias?
Texas was a state where slavery was legal and widely practiced
Texas was a state where the economy was based on industrialism
The Constitution was written by abolitionists
A mix of slave-holding and free states ratified the Constitution
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The possible source of bias in the statement is:
**Texas was a state where slavery was legal and widely practiced.**
This context influences the perspective expressed in the document, as it defends the institution of slavery and stresses the rights of slaveholders, reflecting a pro-slavery viewpoint that aligns with the interests of a slaveholding society.
**Texas was a state where slavery was legal and widely practiced.**
This context influences the perspective expressed in the document, as it defends the institution of slavery and stresses the rights of slaveholders, reflecting a pro-slavery viewpoint that aligns with the interests of a slaveholding society.