Slavery absolutely denied our Constitution's unalienable rights to African Americans from the early colonial times until 1865 through various ways. Slaves experienced harsh and brutal times throughout history from beatings to suffering and starvation. Some slaves died during their life while others were close to death, they didn't have any freedom at all, and slavery didn't allow a true pursuit of happiness. Throughout documents 1-9, they show how African Americans didn't have the opportunity to our Constitution's unalienable rights, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, as did the white citizens.

As much as a chance of life whites had back in slave days, African Americans had very little of it, if any at all. Slaves got severe beatings while naked, which led some slaves to death (Doc 1). Whites also took slaves' lives as in Document 9 when the mistress severely abused and burned a 13-year-old girl as well as her...