<P> The Faiths of the Founding Fathers is a book that discusses the religion held by the founding fathers, written in 2006 by historian of U.S. religion David L. Holmes . </P> <P> One of the greatest contradictions of the Founding Fathers was their disunity with regard to slavery at a time that they were seeking liberty for themselves . In her study of Thomas Jefferson, historian Annette Gordon - Reed emphasizes this irony, "Others of the founders held slaves, but no other founder drafted the charter for freedom," In addition to Jefferson, George Washington, John Jay and many other of the Founding Fathers practiced slavery but were also conflicted by the institution which many saw as immoral and politically divisive . Benjamin Franklin owned slaves (though Franklin later became an abolitionist). John Jay would try unsuccessfully to abolish slavery as early as 1777 in the State of New York but was overruled (though he would later sign the Gradual Emancipation Act into law while Governor). Alexander Hamilton opposed slavery, as his experiences in life left him very familiar with slavery and its effect on slaves and on slaveholders, although he did negotiate slave transactions for his wife's family, the Schuylers . John Adams, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Paine never owned slaves </P> <P> Slaves and slavery are mentioned only indirectly in the 1787 Constitution . For example, Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 prescribes that "three fifths of all other Persons" are to be counted for the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives and direct taxes . Additionally, in Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3, slaves are referred to as "persons held in service or labor". The Founding Fathers, however, did make important efforts to contain slavery . Many Northern states had adopted legislation to end or significantly reduce slavery during and after the American Revolution . In 1782 Virginia passed a manumission law that allowed slave owners to free their slaves by will or deed . As a result, thousands of slaves were manumitted in Virginia . Thomas Jefferson, in 1784, proposed to ban slavery in all the Western Territories, which failed to pass Congress by one vote . Partially following Jefferson's plan, Congress did ban slavery in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, for lands north of the Ohio River . </P> <P> The international slave trade was banned in all states except South Carolina, by 1800 . Finally in 1807, President Jefferson called for and signed into law a Federally - enforced ban on the international slave trade throughout the U.S. and its territories . It became a federal crime to import or export a slave . However, the domestic slave trade was allowed, for expansion, or for diffusion of slavery into the Louisiana Territory . </P>

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