This podcast focuses on two main laws that were written in the US Constitution, the ⅗ Clause and the Slave Trade Clause. The ⅗ Clause states that a black person only counts as ⅗ of a human being. State’s representation in the House of Representatives is based off of population. The North was heavily populated with white people while the South had a large population of black people. In order to balance out the power between the two sides, they came up with this clause so it would be “fair” to both sides. The Slave Trade Clause states that until the year 1808, the government could not regulate the importation of enslaved people. This was done so that the South could still build wealth off of slavery which fueled the American enconomy which was finianicialy beneficial to white people in both the South and the North. These laws were part of the reason why slavery went on in the US for so much longer than other places. It’s really about the fact that we had a clear chance to change it and even at the time everyone KNEW that it was something that was to be ashamed of, and they sill decided to continue it. Places that had has slavery for such a long time eventually changed their ways and grew (not that they were perfect), and even new countries in other parts of America decided way sooner than us to get rid of it. It shows how deeply racism is integrated into our society and that it wasn’t just that no one knew better, they committed those horrific acts knowingly. The legacy still lives on in just basic human beliefs as well as neighborhoods, jobs, etc. All fueled by not only seeing black people as less than human (the ⅗ clause), but also our country being built on slavery as one of its core pillars.