Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

352 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS
importation of any more negroes from Africa. The New England
States were very anxious to give Congress the control over comniei ;e.
The South, opposed to making an unreserved surrender in this matter,
advocated requiring a two-thirds vote of both houses before any measure
affecting commerce should become law. They feared that the New
England States would get a monopoly of the carrying trade; would
impose ruinous freight rates for transporting rice and indigo to Europe;
and would enact tariff legislation hostile to the interests of purely
agricultural States. Here was good material for a compromise. New
Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut voted to prolong the slave
trade for twenty years; and Georgia and South Carolina supported
congressional control over commerce."
To bring matters to a focus, it was contended by Georgia's delegates
that, if the importation of slaves were not allowed, Georgia would un
doubtedly refuse to ratify the Constitution. South Carolina made a
similar contention. In arguing the case for Georgia, Mr. Baldwin was
candid enough to admit, however, that if left to herself Georgia would
probably put a stop to the trade. Says Mr. Phillips: * " From this
prophecy which was fulfilled in a decade and from other side-lights on
the subject, we doubt if the prohibitory clause would have lead to the
rejection of the Constitution by Georgia." But the North was forced
to yield rather than put the instrument in jeopardy of rejection, and
incidentally of a serious loss to its commerce. Accordingly a compro
mise was reached designating the year 1808 as the time for all importa
tion of slaves to cease. If any were imported in the meantime, a tax of
$10 per capita was to be imposed. But Georgia did not wait until 1808
to prohibit the foreign slave traffic. She inserted a clause to this effect
in her state constitution of 1798, ten years before the time was up.
On September 17, 1787, the convention ended its deliberations, after a
session of four months. The great instrument destined to become the
fundamental law of a new nation was then engrossed and signed by the
various state delegations. Rhode Island alone took no part in shaping
the compact of Union. Only two of Georgia's delegates appear to have
signed the instrument: Abraham Baldwin and William Pew, though
Georgia had gained substantially every point for which she had cpn-
tended. Straightway the new Constitution was transmitted to the Conti
nental Congress which, in a resolution adopted September 28th, directed
its transmission to the various state legislatures, with an accompanying
letter, said Constitution to be ratified by the people of each state in con
vention assembled.
It happened that, on the arrival of this communication in Georgia,
our law-makers were in session at Augusta. Following its publication in
the Georgia Gazette, on October 13th, a convention was called by formal
resolution to meet in Augusta. This convention was to be held on Decem
ber 27th, and was to decide the fate of the new Constitution, so far at least
as Georgia's ratification or rejection was concerned. Pursuant to call,
this convention met at the time and place specified. Hon. John "Wereat,
an illustrious patriot, at one time governor of the state, was made its
president. To the office of secretary, Isaac Briggs, Esq., was elected. All
' Georgia and State Eights," U. B. Phillips, p. 20.