Contents

• Somerset’s journey sparks the American Revolution
• The tinderbox
• Virginia responds to the Somerset Decision
• The Virginia Resolution unites the Colonies and leads to the First Continental Congress in 1774
• John Adams supports the South on slavery
• Colonies claim independence from Parliament
• The immortal ambiguity : "all men are created equal"
• The Articles of Confederation reject Somerset and protect slavery
• The lure of the West : slavery protected in the Territories
• Deadlock over slavery in the Constitutional Convention
• A slave-free Northwest Territory
• Cementing the bargain : ratification by Virginia and the First Congress
• How then should we view the Founding Fathers?