hem as merchandise for the purpose of taxation was acceptable.Madison was forced to make a difficult decision while in Congress. As one of his last acts, Benjamin Franklin petitioned Congress to abolish slavery and the slave trade. Madison could either agree or support his true feelings on the issue or appease southern factions that would leave the union and scream sedition at such a measure. Franklin was strongly supported by Quakers from Philadelphia. Madison responded by saying he agreed with such a measure but it should be done in the future when it could be more timely and successful.During this time period, Madison addressed the slave problem in more than his public activities. Madison began leaving instructions for overseers on his Montpelier estate for "Kind and humane" treatment of his slaves. It is at this time Madison focuses on his plan for the gradual emancipation of the slaves. In his "Memorandum on an African Colony for Freed Slaves" Madison says,"Without inquiring into the practicability or the most proper means of establishing a settlement of freed blacks on the coast of Africa, it may be remarked as one motive to the benevolent experiment that if such an asylum was provided, it might prove a great encouragement to manumission in the southern parts of the United States and even afford the best hope yet presented of putting an end to the slavery in which not less than 600,000 unhappy Negroes are now involved.""In all the Southern States of North America, the laws permit masters, under certain precautions to manumit their slaves. But the continuance of such permission in some of the states is rendered precarious by the ill effects suffered from freemen who retain the vices and habits of slaves. The same consideration becomes an objection with many humane masters against an exertion of their legal right of freeing their slaves. It is found in fact that neither the good of the society, nor the happiness of the ind...
