This political cartoon, titled, "Forcing Slavery Down The Throat of a Freesoiler," was published in 1856 by illustrator John L. Magee on Harper's Weekly. This was in response to violence against antislavery supporters in Kansas. The cartoon shows several Democratic figures--namely Stephen Douglas, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Lewis Cass--shoving a peronified version of slavery (a black man) down a "freesoiler's" throat. The term "freesoiler" refers to an
Summary of the Clauses
The Lecompton Constitution proposed many proslavery principles in Article VII, which focused on slavery:
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Section 1: Choosing to own a slave is a natural right of a slave owner and cannot be taken away.
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Section 2: Congress cannot pass any laws that would free a slave without the slaveowner's permission or without paying the slaveowner. Any slaveowner who has emigrated to the United States must be able to "keep" their slave (unless they have committed severe crimes). Selling slaves is also legal.
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Section 4: Harshly/fatally wounding a slave is punishable by law, unless the slave showed the urge to rebel against its owners.
Additionally, the Bill of Rights stated that​ no free Africans were allowed to live in the state of Kansas.
Click the link below to read the proslavery sections of the Lecompton Constitution (drafted on November 7, 1857 in Constitution Hall in Lecompton, Kansas) below.