Slavery in New York and New Jersey was VERY important to the commerce of those states especially in working the docks. In my opinion New York was the keystone state (Not Pennsylvania) Without New York ratifing the Constitution there would have been no "United" States. There would have been two groups of states one group of states north of New York, and one Group of states south of New York.

All states except Massachusetts were slave states in 1787. However this was a misnomer. Massachusetts would not have been a free state even at that time had it not been for the "the Quock Walker case,", Which rendered a ruling on wording of the Massachusetts 1780 Constitution taken from the Declaration of Independence, in that 1783 case. This was only 4 years before the United States Constitution was ratified. While some new Engalnd states had a very low population density of slaves that true, New York City had been the center of slave trading since the days of the Dutch and New Amsterdam in the early 1600's. That slave trade was very much a part of the New York City commerce.

If my memory serves me correctly New York was the last of the 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution, well after it had recieved the 9 states that was needed to dissolve the Articles of Confederation and the Government which had governed under that system. You will also remember that there were several concessions which was made to New York to gain it agreement to the "New" Constitution. Such as establishing New York City, and not Phildelphia, as the new Capitol of the new country.

This idea that the slavery clause was included in the Constitution solely because of the "southern state" is bogus and does not correlate with the facts of history. The United States could have been formed more easily excluding the 4 southern states which eventually became a part of the Confederacy that it could have been done had thee State of New York been excluded.

http://www.slavenorth.com/newyork.htm

1. E.B. O'Callaghan and Berthold Fernow, eds., Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York, 15 vols., 1856-87.
2. Herbert S. Klein, The Atlantic Slave Trade, Cambridge University Press, 1999, p.76-7.
3. Board of Audit of the West India Company, May 27, 1647.
4. Edgar J. McManus, A History of Negro Slavery in New York, Syracuse University Press, 1966, p.7.
5. William J. Allinson, Memoir of Quamino Buccau, A Pious Methodist, Philadelphia: Henry Longstreth, 1851, p.4.
6. Edgar J. McManus, A History of Negro Slavery in New York, Syracuse University Press, 1966, p.7.
7. Edgar J. McManus, Black Bondage in the North, Syracuse University Press, 1973, p.172.