> If legal slavery was a federal law, it would still exist today.

Perhaps if the confederacy had won, given that the confederate government did institute laws to that effect upon its member states: confederate states were not allowed to aid or abet fugitive slaves.

Confederate Statutes, Chapter 19, Section 50.

But they didn't, and the United States government explicitly abolished slavery (despite some states wanting it, and some states not) that we don't have slavery in the US, not even in the states which embrace confederacy ideals today.

And, not having slavery? That's a good thing. Thanks, US Government.

Thank the Northern states you mean.

No. I mean what I said. The US Government is made up of representatives from the states, but it was not the state governments who wrote the law, it was the federal government.

I doubt that is the case. As I understand it slavery was expected to be on the outs for economic reasons anyway when the constitution was written, so abolishonists gave ground they might not have given if they knew the cotton gin would make slavery viable again.

Regardless, I think slavery is a dreadful example because it leaves the definition of personhood up to individual states and that is ridiculous.

Yeah agreed. There still is a purpose of the federal government and that's enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

Slavery does not even fit in to those basic fundamental Bill of Rights.