Slavery and the Constitution: America's Founding Paradox

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

This video investigates the profound contradiction at the heart of the United States' founding: the coexistence of the institution of slavery within a nation declared to be the "land of the free." It examines why the Constitution specifically avoided using the word "slavery," analyzing the tension between the revolutionary ideals of equality asserted in the Declaration of Independence and the economic pragmatism that drove the Constitutional Convention. The narration guides students through the uncomfortable realities of the era, distinguishing between the idealistic "Founding Fathers" and the system-building "Framers." Key themes explored include the economic interdependence of Northern merchants and Southern planters on slave labor, the dehumanizing logic behind the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the geographic shift of the slave trade from the Old South to the Deep South. The video features significant historical analysis of Thomas Jefferson's famous "wolf by the ears" metaphor and explains how the framers' inability to resolve the slavery issue necessitated a Civil War decades later. For educators, this video serves as a powerful tool to teach the Constitution not as a static, perfect text, but as a "living document" designed to evolve with society. It provides crucial context for understanding the structural roots of American inequality and the mechanisms of compromise in government. By connecting the 1787 debates directly to the inevitable conflict of the 1860s, it helps students grasp cause-and-effect in history and the complexity of building a democracy.