The Kentucky Constitution of 1850 included protections for slave property, and stipulated that no amendments to the constitution could be proposed for a period of eight years.
Who ever heard of a crusadin' army fightin' to protect mere property, and slave property at that?
In those old slave-holding days the whole community was agreed as to one thing-the awful sacredness of slave property.
It was essentially a restatement of internationally recognized laws of war and authorized the seizure of any property, including slave property, used by the Confederacy to directly aid the war effort.
As Illinois was a free state, he was supposed to lose his right to hold slave property by staying there, and Polly could have been freed.
In this capacity, he ensured that strong protections of slave property were included in the Kentucky Constitution of 1850.
While the Kentucky Constitution had always provided for protection of slave property, pro-slavery forces sought and received even greater protections in the 1850 Constitution.
A former slave owner, he opposed secession from the union on the grounds it would imperil slave property.
Stockton had argued that he had no choice in his assignments with the Army, so should not have to lose his slave property as a result.
Eppes favored preservation of the Union, provided that Southern rights in slave property could be protected.