be ceded" by the States of the Federal Government, including the whole territory now covered by Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Lost at first by a single vote only, this measure was renewed in a more restricted form at a subsequent day, by a son of Massachusetts, and, in 1787, was finally confirmed in the Ordinance of the North-western Territory, by a unanimous vote of the States.
Thus early and distinctly do we discern the antislavery character of the founders of our Republic, and their determination to place the National Government, within the sphere of its jurisdiction, openly, actively, and perpetually on the side of freedom.
The National Constitution was adopted in 1788. And here we discern the same spirit. The emphatic words of the Declaration of Independence, which our country took upon its lips as baptismal vows, when it claimed its place among the nations of the earth, were not forgotten. The preamble to the Constitution renews them, when it declares its object to be, among other things, "to establish justice, to promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and posterity." Thus, according to undeniable words, the Constitution was ordained not to establish, secure, or sanction slavery—not to promote the special interest of slave-holders—not to make slavery national in any way, form, or manner—not to foster this great wrong, but to "establish justice"—"promote the general welfare,"
