Should the slave trade be allowed?

OCR: 6 cited passage(s) are machine-read (OCR) text of old printings; quotations reproduce the stored OCR text, misreadings included.

Reporter's notes: some cited speeches survive only as a reporter's shorthand record, not the speaker's own text.

1. WHAT HE SAID (the record)

Record ledger

• ACTION (editor's note) (1724-01; editor's note, not his words): George Mason patented two tracts of land in January 1724. One was adjacent to the estate of Col. Thomas Lee in Stafford, and the other was over four hundred acres on the north side of Dogue Run. "Colonel Mason patented a tract of land adjoining the estate of Col. Thomas Lee in Stafford, in January, 1724. It consisted of two hundred and fifty acres... In the same month George Mason patented over four hundred acres on the north side of Dogue Run." [1]
• BELIEF (1765-12-23): George Mason believed that the policy of encouraging the importation of free people and discouraging that of slaves had not been duly considered in the colony, leading to negative consequences such as unsettled lands and cultivation with slaves, which he associated with moral and societal decay. "The policy of encouraging the Importation of free people & discouraging that of Slaves has never been duly considered in this Colony, or We shou'd not at this Day see one Half of our best Lands in most parts of the Country remain unsettled, & the other cultivated with Slaves; not to mention the ill Effect such a practice has upon the Morals and Manners of our people" [2]
• BELIEF (1765-12-23): George Mason believed that leasing lands is more beneficial to the community than settling them with slaves, though it may be less immediately profitable for the land-holder. He argued that the common law gives landlords the right to distrain for rent, and that this right has been exercised in the colony and in the Mother-Country for a long time, carrying with it a conviction of general utility. "That the Custom of leasing Lands is more beneficial to the Community than that of settling them with Slaves is a maxim that will hardly be denyed in any free Country" [3]
• ACTION (1774-07-18): George Mason recommended, on 18 July 1774, that the colonies should not buy or purchase any slaves imported into the continent until free exportation and importation be again resolved on by a majority of the representatives or deputies of the colonies. "nor buy or purchase any slaves hereafter imported into any part of this continent, until a free exportation and importation be again resolved on by a majority of the representatives or deputies of the colonies." [4]
• BELIEF (1788-06-03; reporter's paraphrase): George Mason believed that the continuation of the slave trade was a detestable evil that added to the South's weakness and that there should be a constitutional provision to secure the property of enslaved people already held by Southern States, to prevent their deprivation which he said would bring ruin. (key quote above) [5]
• BELIEF (1788-06-03; reporter's paraphrase): George Mason believed the slave trade should not be allowed and expressed his detestation for it, calling it 'diabolical in itself, and disgraceful to mankind.' He argued that continuing the trade for twenty years, as allowed by the Constitution, was a 'most disgraceful thing to America' and that he would not admit the Southern States into the Union unless they agreed to discontinue the trade. (key quote above) [6]
• ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words): George Mason made a speech opposing the clause allowing the importation of slaves, during a heated debate. The passage does not specify a date for this action. "The clause allowing the importation of slaves called forth a heated debate. George Mason, in opposition to Mr. Sherman, of Connecticut, who was for leaving the clause as it stood, made a speech of some length." [7]
• ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words): George Mason prepared and presented a bill that included a tax on slaves, as part of measures to raise supplies for the United States during the war. This action is reported in the context of financial legislation. "The additional duties were a poll tax, a tax on slaves, on carriages, on merchandise, and on liquors, foreign and domestic." [8]
• ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words): The passage reports that George Mason expressed detestation for the slave trade and considered it a most disgraceful thing to America, but it does not record any specific action by him (such as a vote, veto, or recommendation) regarding whether the slave trade should be allowed. (key quote above) [9]
• ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words): George Mason advocated for the three-fifths basis of representation for slaves during the Constitutional Convention. He declared he 'could not agree to the motion, notwithstanding it was favorable to Virginia, because he thought it unjust.' "George Mason advocated it, and on a motion for an equal representation of the blacks, declared he 'could not agree to the motion, notwithstanding it was favorable to Virginia, because he thought it unjust.'" [10]

What cuts against it

• The contrary-evidence entries are already in the record ledger above: [1], [7], [8], [9].

2. HOW IT APPLIES (reasoning; inference is marked)

1. George Mason expressed strong opposition to the slave trade, calling it "nefarious," "diabolical," and "disgraceful to mankind." [6]

2. He believed the Constitution should secure the property rights of Southern states in enslaved people, even as he opposed the continuation of the trade. [5]

3. Mason argued that the slave trade weakened the states and had a deleterious effect on morals and manners. [2]

4. He supported a ban on purchasing newly imported slaves until colonial representatives could resolve the issue, showing a desire to limit the trade. [4]

5. Despite his opposition to the trade, Mason did not advocate for abolition but instead for protections for existing slaveholding interests, indicating a complex stance. [10]

3. HIS TAKE

Record coverage: PARTIAL

The record is silent on whether George Mason would have supported a complete and immediate end to the slave trade, as opposed to a gradual phase-out or a ban on new imports. However, his consistent opposition to the trade and his advocacy for constitutional protections for existing slave property suggest a nuanced position.

Extrapolation: George Mason likely would have opposed the continuation of the slave trade, but he would have sought to protect the rights of Southern slaveholders in the process. His position was not aligned with abolition but with a pragmatic approach to preserving union and property rights.

Competing readings: One reading is that Mason's opposition to the trade was principled and moral; another is that it was strategic, aimed at preserving Southern unity and his own property interests. The record itself supports both readings.

Confidence: Moderate, based on his strong verbal opposition and the absence of any clear support for the trade, but limited by his silence on immediate abolition and his slaveholding status.