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Freedom for All? The Contradictions of Slavery and Freedom in the Maryland Constitution
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Author: Mary E. Zynda, Teaching American History in Baltimore City Program
Grade Level: Upper Elementary/Middle
Duration: 2-3 periods
Overview:
This lesson uses the Maryland State Constitution of 1776 and the Declaration of Independence to examine the contradiction between slavery and freedom at the heart of the American Revolution. The United States' founding fathers clamored for "liberty," "rights," and "freedom," yet incorporated slavery into the earliest constitutions. In Maryland's case, indentured servitude characterized the early labor force in the colony, but as soon as state legislators legalized life-long servitude for Africans, slavery became much more common. Despite early opposition to the institution and the campaigning of Christian abolitionist societies, slavery would accompany the United States' independence form Great Britain.
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