The constitution of the United States was created with the intentions of a separation of powers, established to reconstruct the failing Articles of Confederation. The constitutional convention never clearly addressed the issue of slavery, but I feel that in context that it did address, and I think the constitution did support slavery.
             In article I section 9, it states that, "the migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit shall not be prohibited by the congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty maybe imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person". The word persons I feel are referring to slaves being imported from Africa or where ever slaves were being imported from. This is the first evidence that the delegates at the convention had no intentions of regulating slavery. Why would the delegates want to outlaw slavery, slaves was the biggest factor of production, free labor, slaves were "expendable" and the states with large plantations were making a lot of money from this free labor.
             More evidence from the constitution is Article IV section 2; " no person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due".
             That sounds like the delegates were making sure they were protecting the investments of southern plantation owners, and not offending the north at the same time, the terms service or labor during the 1780's could only be tied to one thing, slavery. The bread and butter or The Smoking Gun was the three-fifths compromise, when free and slaves agreed to count only three fifths of the slaves in appointing both representation and direct taxes. If ...