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
it?

which of the following conclusions about slavery best captures the perspectives of
the speakers above?

select one answer

a the declaration of independence supports slavery, while the
constitution bans slavery.

b the concept of slavery is supported by the documents on which the
united states was founded.

c the concept of slavery contradicts the ideals on which the united
states was founded.

d the constitution supports slavery, while the declaration of
independence bans it.

no answer saved.

Explanation:

Frederick Douglass argues the Constitution’s due process clause undermines slavery, and Abraham Lincoln laments the distortion of the Declaration of Independence (a founding ideal of universal rights) to justify slavery. Both imply slavery contradicts the U.S.’s founding ideals.

Answer:

C. The concept of slavery contradicts the ideals on which the United States was founded.