Which clause states the importation of slaves must stop in 20 years?

Which clause states the importation of slaves must stop in 20 years?

• A. A clause that allowed the importation of slaves to continue for several decades.
• B. A clause that prohibited the importation of slaves immediately.
• C. A clause that prohibited any mention of slavery in the Constitution.
• D. A clause that stated the importation of slaves must stop in 20 years.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is the compromise the Constitution made about the international slave trade. The key detail is that the arrangement allowed enslaved people to be imported for a limited time, with a clear deadline to stop later. The clause stating that the importation of slaves must stop in 20 years embodies that compromise: it lets the trade continue for a set period, and then ends it, rather than banning it immediately or allowing it to continue indefinitely. This balanced approach helped secure agreement between states with different economic interests. Why this is the best answer is that it accurately reflects the historical result: a limited window during which the slave trade could continue, followed by a prohibition after that period. The other descriptions don’t fit the actual setup—one imagines an immediate ban, another imagines no mention of slavery at all, and another suggests no end at all. The 20-year deadline encapsulates the delayed, conditional approach that was built into the Constitution to address both sides’ concerns.

The main idea here is the compromise the Constitution made about the international slave trade. The key detail is that the arrangement allowed enslaved people to be imported for a limited time, with a clear deadline to stop later. The clause stating that the importation of slaves must stop in 20 years embodies that compromise: it lets the trade continue for a set period, and then ends it, rather than banning it immediately or allowing it to continue indefinitely. This balanced approach helped secure agreement between states with different economic interests.

Why this is the best answer is that it accurately reflects the historical result: a limited window during which the slave trade could continue, followed by a prohibition after that period. The other descriptions don’t fit the actual setup—one imagines an immediate ban, another imagines no mention of slavery at all, and another suggests no end at all. The 20-year deadline encapsulates the delayed, conditional approach that was built into the Constitution to address both sides’ concerns.