In the House of Representatives, South Carolina’s Charles Pinckney, the only member of Congress in 1820 who had served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 stated in his speech to Congress, “The great body of slaves are happier in their present situation than they would be in any other, and the man or men who would attempt to give them freedom, would be their greatest enemies.” Was he right? In a miniscule amount, and unordinary circumstances, yes, in some parts of the south slaves were treated “well” and given more freedoms than others. But that didn’t make the fact, that slaves were looked at and treated as animals in other parts of the country, go away.
In a letter to John Holmes, Jefferson voiced the fears of many Americans that conflicting views of states' rights, slavery, westward expansion, and the powers of the federal government had brought the