"A letter sent by James Madison on November 25, 1820, to the Marquis de Lafayette discussed the debate over admitting Missouri as a slave state and the confusion caused by the different rights of "free people of color" in various states. He deplored the "various disqualifications which degrade them from the rank & rights of white persons". Dismayed by the growing divisiveness in the nation, which he had helped to found, Madison added, "All these perplexities develop more and more, the dreadful fruitfulness of the original sin of the African trade"."
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Presidents of the United StatesAcademics from the United StatesFounding Fathers of the United States of AmericaUnited States presidential candidates, 1812United States presidential candidates, 1808
Original Language: English
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Sources
Herbert Mitgang, "Hoping Someone (Else) Would Abolish Slavery" (24 February 1994), The New York Times.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Madison
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James Madison
James Madison Jr. (16 March 1751 – 28 June 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.
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