p3.09+Dixiecrat+Bloc+Page



Group Members and Roles
 * Allany - Graphics & TV Commercial
 * Loren - Debater, Roger Sherman
 * Cassandra - Speech & Wiki, Charles Pickney
 * Madeline - Writer
 * Anna - Radio & Photography
 * Sarah - Journalist

Group Slogan [[image:Those_In_Chains.jpg width="321" height="163" align="right"]]
"Those in Chains Make Economic Gains!!!!!!"

Testimonials
Working on the plantation is like going on a vacation.

What Your Group Wants -- Plan for New Constitution

 * Charles Cotesworth Pickney - South Carolina**

-Insist a clause be inserted into the Constitution that expressly forbids Congress from outlawing or even taxing the importation of slaves.

-No action at all by national government against the importation of African slaves will occur.

-Less national regulation of trade, so as to give more freedom locally; a 2/3 majority vote in both houses to enact tariffs, quotas, or embargoes. -3/5 count of slaves for purposes of representation in Congress


 * Roger Sherman - Connecticut**

-Makes sure no mention of the word "slavery" or "slave" is seen anywhere in the Constitution. Refer to slaves as "persons held to service."

-Propose no tampering with slave trade until 1808.

-Give federal Congress ability to regulate trade - establish tariffs and embargoes - by a simple majority instead of 2/3 vote.

Bullet Points of Your Plan
For purposes of representation of the Southern states in Congress, persons held to service will count as 3/5ths a man

Congress is forbidden to tax or outlaw the importation of persons held to service Any proposed terfs, quotas, or embargoes can only be passed by 2/3rds majority vote in both houses

Decreased regulation on national trade by government

No action at all by national government against persons held to service that come from Africa

Orator: Text of Your Speech
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All y’all in this here Constitutional Convention need to listen to me! I am Charles Cotesworth Pickney, from the beautiful Southern state of South Carolina! Now, we are here at this Convention to argue about interests, not morality! And for the best interests of this yere country, we must keep persons held to service on our southern plantations! Why is this so? They are the foundation of our economy! Amen! Without them, this here nation would fall into the pits of destruction! If we somehow got a constitution passed that abolished the importation of persons held to service, this nation’s economy would take a major drop, with no force of labor to grow the food we have on our plates and the clothes we wear on our back! We would then need to turn back to our former mother country, Britain, to hold our dang hands because we ain’t got no labor force to support our economy. Who would like that to happen, after countless lives were lost in the struggle for our independence?

Our union is dependent on the persons held to service. Us southerners may just seem them as property, but we give them food to eat, a roof over their heads, and let them have a family. The Dixiecrat Bloc proposes that persons held to service count as three fifths of a man for the purpose of Southern representation in Congress. We, in the Dixiecrat Bloc, also propose that Congress is forbidden to tax or outlaw the importation of persons held to service, as this will eliminate this yere nation’s economy. Also, any proposed terfs, quotas, or embargoes can only be passed by two thirds majority vote in both houses. These two above clauses that the Dixiecrat Bloc proposes would decrease the regulation on national trade. We also want no action at all from the national government against these persons held to service that come from Africa! These proposals will keep us Southern states happy and this nation of our prosperous! God Bless America!

If this yere proposals do not pass, America will suffer great loss! Us plantation owners would produce no food for all y’all to eat, no tobacco for all y’all to chew, and no clothes for you to put on your back! You would be starving and dying like wild fire like when the first peoples of this nation came to this land! You New Englanders would freeze you petunias off in all y’alls freezing winters cuz you ain’t got no cotton for your clothes who the persons held to service help grow. Without the plantations, we would have no trade! The people who work the plantations are the persons held to service. If it were not for them, we would not have the amenities we have today! Our country would not be the same!

These people’s ancestors have been here since the 1680s, for almost one hundred years! These persons held to service have shaped our social, economic, and ideological way of life. They help initiate the livelihood in this country! Amen! Our livelihood is based on the Southern plantations! Our livelihood will not survive without plantations and our persons held to service! We need them to maintain our crops such as cotton, tobacco, rice, and indigo. Who would we have tend to our crops if we did not have persons held to service? The indentured servants could do it, but these people are unreliable then run away after there service is up! Indentured servants are not a sufficient labor force! Our persons held to service are and they help us maintain this nation’s dream, living a prosperous life filled with an opportunity to live all y’all dreams and to die a happy person! We need to unify together to support this dream and to keep our beautiful plantations running!

Vote with the Dixiecrat Bloc, because those in chains make economic gains! Be with us in this fine opportunity and keep supporting the persons held to service! God Bless America! God Bless The Southern Plantations! Amen! *Throw cotton in camera*

Debater: Possible Objections to Plan and Your Replies
Q: Does Jesus believe slavery is wrong? A: Jesus never spoke out against slavery in the Bible, and the Old Testament scripture gives instructions on how to treat your slaves, not to release them! Q: Why do you wish for your slaves to be counted as part of the population, but won't give them equal suffrage? A: Its simple. Slaves do not have the education necessary to be established members of our southern states!

Q: Why don't you give your slaves the education they need in order to be members of your culture? A: Again, simple, slaves already have the gift of being brought from the dark continent of Africa to the prosperous lands of America. Why should we have to provide them with everything they need when they have already been given a home outside of savage Africa?

Q: Don't many slaves die en route to this prosperous free nation of America? A: Sure, and many of our southern bretheren die of malaria each year, and we aren't complaining, we are thriving!

Journalist: Write-Up of Convention Activity
It has been a quite exciting time as delegates from around America met in Philadelphia to discuss the revising of the Articles of Confederation. It was originally to begin on March 14, but due to a poor number of delegates showing up, it was postponed until May 25. While the Constitution was being created, it was shrouded in secrecy and we, the common people, had no idea what went on during the debates, until now! At first the delegates only wanted to revise the Articles of Confederation, but soon it was obvious that they would need to be scrapped and rewritten. They spent months debating and perfecting the Constitution, until finally today, on September 17, 1787, the Constitution has been completed. To begin the discussion of the new Constitution, each party presented their opening speeches, declaring what each party thought was best for the new government of America. Enthusiastic applause and Boo’s were heard during and after each speech. It was clear that each party had very different views; it was also prominent that they would have to find a way to negotiate with one another to overcome their differences and to create a new Constitution.

The Virginia Plan, led by Edmund Randolph and James Madison, began the debate and was quickly retorted by the New Jersey Plan delegates, William Patterson and Patrick Henry. The two parties argued hotly over how the states should be represented in Congress. The New Jersey plan proposed to have one house, a unicameral legislature, and all states having one representative, giving all states the same power in the Senate. The Virginia Plan wanted a bicameral legislature with two houses that are elected by the people with representatives decided by the population of the state. The Virginia Plan delegates justified their view with the analogy of Virginia being represented by a quarter due to their large population and New Jersey being represented by a nickel due to their small population. They stated that giving each state equal representation in the Senate is similar to saying that a quarter and a nickel amount to the same value, which is untrue. He continued saying if you tried to buy a twenty-five cent soda and you “handed the shopkeeper a nickel he would say it wasn’t enough. But why not? They’re cents, aren’t they?” He concluded that it doesn’t make sense to have equal representation for every state, considering the fact that the population of each state varies greatly. The delegates, for a short period of time, ignored the issues and attacked each others person instead of the prominent issue, in an immature, yet humorous, argument.

After much heated debate between James Madison of the Virginia Plan and Patrick Henry of the New Jersey Plan, with some cracks at each others mothers, Roger Sherman with the Great Compromise stepped in to try and cool down the other delegates. The Great Compromise promised to join together both the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan with their idea of a bicameral house of legislature; the lower house would have representatives based on the population of each state, to please the Virginia Plan, and the upper house, the Senate, would give each state two senators to be represented by to please the New Jersey Plan. The New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan delegates didn’t even stop to consider the Great Compromise, but instead continued bickering like children.

When the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan delegates ceased their arguing, the discussion could finally address a different issue—slavery. The Dixiecrat Bloc vs. the Crispus Attucks. The Dixiecrat Bloc, represented by Charles Pickney and Roger Sherman, proposed to keep slavery. They recognized that slavery is a reality and a necessity in the South and should not be abolished. The Dixiecrats just wanted to continue growing crops with the help of slaves. The Crispus Attucks Coalition, however, wanted the total elimination of slavery or, at least, restrictions on the importation of African slaves. The Dixiecrat delegates argued that “those in chains make economic gains”, saying that the cotton that the slaves pick is the same cotton that makes your shirt. Without the slaves, who will pick the cotton? To emphasize their point, the Dixiecrat Bloc tossed cotton at the Crispus Attucks Coalition. The Crispus Attucks replied with saying, “It seems like your only argument is throwing cotton”. But that was not true; the Dixiecrats knew that getting rid of slavery would certainly abolish the Southern way of life. There would be no benefit to anyone if slavery were abolished. The subject of the Bible and Jesus arose, causing the Crispus Attucks Coalition to argue that it’s against the Bible to keep slaves. The Dixiecrats, however, knew that in the Old Testament, there were instructions on how to keep slaves, not release them. Why would the slaves want to be released anyway? The slave owners give them food and shelter, and, as Roger Sherman and Charles Pickney stated, we Americans “saved the African slaves from Africa” so they should be happy to work for us. And if not slaves, then who would be willing to pick cotton and tend to crops as they do? Sure, it is possible to pay the slaves, as the Crispus Attucks stated, but that would have a negative effect on the price of the crops. The price would rise since more money would need to be spent on growing and caring for the crops. No one wants to pay more and it would end up damaging the economy. The Crispus Attucks Coalition wants to damage our fragile economy! The debate came to a close as the delegates from each side starting arguing nonsense.

The debate ended with a happy banjo song from our Dixiecrat delegate, Roger Sherman. He sang that “slavery is cool” and indeed it is. In the end, it was decided to postpone the issue of slavery to a further date, but it is believed that the Dixiecrat Bloc will prevail in the end.

-Sarah Bridges, Philadelphia Gazette, September 17, 1787.

Comments from Rival Plans
Ewww...You Lie!

Dixiecrat Bloc will kick your butt <3

Photos