The whole body of "law" in the United States is composed of
rules or laws made by legislative bodies (Congress, state legislatures,
city councils, etc.), of regulations that are established to implement (or
administer) legislation, and of decisions of courts at various levels when
people challenge or question the law or its implementation.
The Constitution of the United States provides the framework for all of
our laws, and is the most fundamental statement of the rules which govern
our society.
Constitution of the United States of America
Article I, section 2 specifies that members of the House of
Representatives and "direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several
states which may be included within this union, according to their
respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole
number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of
years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other
Persons."
Article I, section 9 reflects the compromise on slavery in the new
nation: "The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states
now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the
Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight (1808),
but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten
dollars for each person."
Article IV, section 2 represents another compromise between "free" and
"slave" states. It prohibits slaves from obtaining freedom by successfully
reaching a "free" state: "No person held to service or labor in one state,
under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of
any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor,
but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or
labor may be due."
Article V sets out the process for amending the constitution, but
specifically precludes amendment of Article I, sections 2 and 9 prior to
the year 1808; this is another "slave compromise".
Ratification of the Constitution was made dependent on adoption of the
Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments. None of those amendments touched
on issues of race.
Along with the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence is often
cited as one of the nation's seminal documents. It does not refer
specifically to race, but many find difficulty in reconciling its
pronouncement that "all men are created equal" with the fact of slavery in
the young nation.
Declaration of Independence
THE CONSTITUTION AND EARLY COURT DECISIONS
As noted above, the Constitution made several compromises reflecting
the differing attitudes of the states on slavery. This led to some early
conflicts; attempts were made to resolve them through legislation, and
through the courts.
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/fugitive.htm
The Fugitive Slave Act legislated the return of runaway slaves to their
owners, regardless of whether they were found in "slave" or "free" states.
The act provides an extensive legal structure for enforcing the
requirement of Article IV, section 2 of the Constitution, and lays out
penalties for those impeding its enforcement. The necessity to do so
reflects the growing conflict between opponents and proponents of slavery
in the U.S.
The issue ultimately appeared before the Supreme Court, producing one
of the most famous of the early race cases, Scott v. Sandford, known to
history as the Dred Scott Decision.
Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Discussion of the case can be found in USIA's Basic Readings In U.S.
Democracy.
THE CONSTITUTION'S "CIVIL WAR AMENDMENTS"
While the U.S. Constitution has endured largely unchanged since its
adoption in 1788, there have been some amendments over its more than two
hundred years. During the course of America's Civil War (1861-65), slavery
was outlawed in the states of the Confederacy when President Lincoln
signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Emancipation Proclamation
The U.S. National Archives offers an overview of the history and
ramifications of the Proclamation from Prologue, Summer 1993 http://www.nara.gov/publications/prologue/franklin.html.
After the war, slavery was abolished throughout the United States and
certain changes were necessary in the Constitution. These amendments are
called the "Civil War Amendments."