Life Before The Constitution
By Andrew Withey
Life As A Southern Planter
I live in Virginia and I'm a tobacco planter. I own about 30 slaves and I'm pretty wealthy. Slaves are my property and from time to time some of them run away they are considered property so I have to hire a slave catcher. The American colonies won and defeated Great Britain. The bankers wont lend us money anymore and we need the money to buy more slaves. There is a lot of protest from the poor farmers. When some people come and talk to you about equality its kind if scary because I don't know if they mean they are going to take my land and be equal with the poor.
Life As A Banker
I'm a Banker and part of a merchant family in New York. I make most of my money by providing loans to other people and getting paid an interest. Very upsetting things have been happening. State legislators have passed laws allowing people who owe money to pay in kind like with corn ,cows, tobacco and whatever is in value. State legislators have to much power! If the poor couldn't vote then this won't be happening. People get thrown in jail if they don't pay what they owe in some states that is how it should be. But there is some good news for me I bought thousands of dollars in government bonds from people with weapons and clubs. I paid 10 cents for every dollar bond they gave me.
Life As A Enslaved African American
Everyone in my family is enslaved and lives on a plantation in Virginia year 1787. The Declaration Of Independence says "all men are created equal" and yet because I'm black I'm born a slave and remain a slave. The american Revolution didn't mean freedom for everyone.