Importation of Persons Clause
E666848
The Importation of Persons Clause is a provision in the U.S. Constitution that temporarily protected the transatlantic slave trade by preventing Congress from banning the importation of enslaved people before 1808.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
clause of the United States Constitution
ⓘ
constitutional provision ⓘ |
| affected |
enslaved Africans
ⓘ
slaveholding states in the American South ⓘ |
| allowedCongressTo | impose a tax or duty on the importation of persons ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Migration or Importation Clause
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Slave Trade Clause NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesTo | states then existing in the United States ⓘ |
| compromiseBetween | delegates from slaveholding states and delegates from non-slaveholding states ⓘ |
| connectedTo |
Fugitive Slave Clause
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Three-Fifths Compromise NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| constitutionalCategory | limitations on congressional power ⓘ |
| contributedTo | entrenchment of slavery in the early United States ⓘ |
| dateAgreed | 1787 ⓘ |
| doesNotAddress | domestic slave trade within the United States ⓘ |
| enabled | continuation of legal importation of enslaved Africans into the United States until 1808 ⓘ |
| foundInText | Article I, Section 9 of the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| governs | international slave trade into the United States prior to 1808 ⓘ |
| hasPart | Article I, Section 9, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalContext | Constitutional Convention of 1787 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves effective January 1, 1808 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| inForceFromYear | 1789 ⓘ |
| inForceUntilYear | 1808 ⓘ |
| interpretedAs | constitutional protection of the slave trade for a limited period ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
United States government
ⓘ
surface form:
federal government of the United States
|
| languageIncludes |
"The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit"
ⓘ
"but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person" ⓘ "shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight" ⓘ |
| legalEffect |
limited Congress’s commerce power over the slave trade until 1808
ⓘ
prevented immediate national abolition of the transatlantic slave trade ⓘ |
| moralAssessmentInScholarship | example of constitutional compromise with slavery ⓘ |
| negotiatedBy | delegates to the Philadelphia Convention ⓘ |
| prohibitedCongressFrom |
banning the importation of persons prior to 1808
ⓘ
imposing a complete prohibition on the slave trade before 1808 ⓘ |
| purpose |
to limit federal power over the slave trade until 1808
ⓘ
to secure temporary protection for the transatlantic slave trade ⓘ |
| ratifiedWith | United States Constitution in 1788 ⓘ |
| relatedLaterLegislation | Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves of 1807 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatesTo |
United States Congress
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
federal legislative power ⓘ importation of enslaved persons ⓘ transatlantic slave trade ⓘ |
| statusAfter1808 | no longer restricted Congress from prohibiting the importation of persons ⓘ |
| subjectOf | constitutional law scholarship on slavery and the founding ⓘ |
| taxLimit | not exceeding ten dollars for each person ⓘ |
| temporalRestrictionUntilYear | 1808 ⓘ |
| textualAmbiguity | uses the term "Persons" rather than explicitly saying "slaves" ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.