Constitution Protects Slave Trade Until 1808

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution barred Congress from prohibiting the international slave trade until 1808, at the insistence of South Carolina and Georgia delegates. Madison's notes record his discomfort but ultimate acquiescence. The 20-year guarantee was a central condition of Southern ratification. Approximately 170,000 more Africans were legally imported in the period before the 1808 ban took effect.