Question

frederick douglass, 1857
i ask, then, any man to read the constitution, and tell me where, if he can,
in what particular that instrument affords the slightest sanction of
slavery?
where will he find a guarantee for slavery? will he find it in the
declaration that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law?
these all strike at the root of slavery, and any one of them, but faith-fully
carried out, would put an end to slavery in every state in the american
union.
douglass, frederick. \speech on the dred scott decision 1857.\
teachingamericanhistory.org.
abraham lincoln, 1857
our declaration of independence was held sacred by all, and thought to
include all; but now, to aid in making the bondage of the negro universal
and eternal, it is assailed, and sneered at, and construed, and hawked at,
and torn, till, if its framers could rise from their graves, they could not at
all recognize it.

• the declaration is of no practical use now—mere rubbish...

and now i appeal to all—are you really willing that the declaration shall
be thus frittered away?—shorn of its vitality, and practical value; and left
without the germ or even the suggestion of the individual rights of man in
which of the following groups would feel the most political pressure from speeches
like those above?
select one answer
a northern congressmen at the federal level.

b politicians in southern states seeking re - election.

c factory owners in new england.

d southern plantation owners.

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Explanation:

The speeches by Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln in 1857 critique slavery and its compatibility with foundational U.S. documents (Constitution, Declaration of Independence). Southern plantation owners relied on slavery for their economic system, so these anti-slavery arguments directly threatened their interests, making them the group under the most political pressure.

Answer:

D. Southern plantation owners.