Dp, I have the greatest of respect for you consistently using facts, rather than opinions in your posting. In this case I believe you to be wrong. Slavery was not an issue at the time of the Declaration of Independence nor was it an issue when The Articles of Confederacy were adopted in 1777. The issue of slavery first came up in The Constitutional Convention in 1787. It was at this meeting when the famous/infamous 3/5ths idea was adopted, meaning that slaves were counted as 3/5ths of a person.

This was done to preserve the voting power of the northern state in relation to the voting power of the southern states was adopted. It is important to realize that slavery was at that time, not repugnant to the northern states. It was General Robert E. Lee who had freed his slaves prior to the war and General Grant that maintained his ownership. We have become far too much accepting the politically correct view of slavery rather than the historical accuracy.