Pro-slavery activists in the United States often pointed to several amendments and provisions in the Bill of Rights to support their arguments for slavery. While the Bill of Rights itself does not explicitly mention slavery, proponents of slavery interpreted certain rights as protecting their interests. Key amendments and concepts included:
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Fifth Amendment: This amendment protects against deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Pro-slavery advocates argued that enslaved individuals were considered property and that any attempts to abolish slavery would violate the property rights of slave owners.
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Fourth Amendment: This amendment provides protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Pro-slavery activists argued that this right extended to the protection of their property, including enslaved people, against governmental interference or abolitionist actions.
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Ninth Amendment: This amendment asserts that the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution does not deny or disparage other rights retained by the people. Pro-slavery activists sometimes claimed that the rights of slaveholders should be recognized as fundamental, even if not explicitly mentioned.
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Tenth Amendment: This amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or to the people. Pro-slavery advocates argued that states had the right to determine their own laws regarding slavery, interpreting the Tenth Amendment as a protection of state sovereignty over the issue.
These interpretations were part of a broader argument that positioned slavery as a legitimate and protected institution within the framework of American law and rights.